A Remedy for Lonely Hearts
by Violetta-Night Butterfly
Summary: AU. Hired as a nanny and housekeeper into the House of Wesker, Sherry Birkin finds more than just a child to care for and a house to clean. She's got the mysterious and secretive Mr. Wesker, his ailing wife Stephanie, and their oldest son, Jake whose capricious and devil may care personality completely clashes with her own. Jake x Sherry, Piers x Helena COMPLETE
1. A New Start

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil, the characters or anything related to the series. I am simply doing this for fun, that's all.

* * *

_A Remedy for Lonely Hearts_

_By Violetta-Night Butterfly_

_Pairing: JakexSherry (with PiersxHelena and others)_

_Loneliness is overwhelming, it's that feeling of isolation and the feeler will always try and find a cure to that loneliness, an endless search, anything to make them feel complete._

* * *

Chapter 1:

A New Start

* * *

Introduction

I guess you could say I'd finally had enough. I was tired of being sheltered, being forced to live a life that my parents expected of me. I have always been told to study hard in school, be top of my class, graduate valedictorian - go on from high school to study at a prestigious university somewhere majoring in something along the lines of physics, chemistry, or hell, become a top-notch lawyer. This would have pleased my father and mother greatly.

At least that's what I deduced while growing up.

It wasn't until I reached my junior year of high school that I 'accidentally' asked myself a question that would rock my world, and I did so unintentionally. I say 'accidentally' because... well, I have my moments when I wish I had never began to dwell for even a moment on that dreadful thought.

_'Am I doing this for myself... or for them?'_

I barely realized my answer came so fast until it did.

Yes. I was doing everything for them.

I was living my life to impress my parents. To earn some sort of appreciation from them - something I've always longed for my whole life.

From a young age, nothing I did was ever good enough. I was reading very early in my life but because I wasn't able to read a music scale, I was poorly educated - my father's words...

So I kept working towards it - success. I wanted to master everything that came my way - anything to gain their acceptance.

But I never got it.

Instead, all I ever got was an overwhelming feeling of loneliness.

I took a good look at myself that dreadful day in high school while I wrote a creative writing assignment for the class. The topic was for us to give the reasoning behind who we were at the present day. Everyone else seemed to say it was because of their experiences like lost love, hard times in orphanages, and some were even brave enough to admit abuse of some form during childhood.

As tears were shed, I listened quietly to everyone around me. Most of them bullied me at some point when we were younger. I finally understood why though - because they were bullied by life itself. That said, they had no concept of the fact that I too was bullied.

By my own parents.

The burdens of responsibility they placed on my once meek shoulders had shaped me into who I was that day in high school - a lonely and timid child with no real dreams of my own.

I was no different from any of them in that classroom. Yet all my years of being raised in a home of privileged scientists had made me believe I couldn't talk to any of them.

_'They're jealous of your lineage Sherry - and rightfully so.' _My mother would say, to later go on and on about how I was a Birkin with a special blood that made me exceed the average human - thus I should relish in it and the fortunes it would bring me in the future.

As I read my creative writing essay that day in front of everyone in my class, I watched with tear-soaked eyes as everyone looked at me in shock. For the first time ever, I'd been honest with them all about who I was. After years of being lonely and friendless, drowning in misery with no identity of my own... I spoke up.

I received many hugs that day.

Hugs were something I'd never received from my parents in my entire life.

From that moment and forward, I was unafraid to make friends. I spoke to anyone who would speak to me, I even attended school dances.

By my senior year I'd grown very close to one of my school counselors, Claire Redfield and her friend - a police officer by the name Leon S. Kennedy. They went on to become parental figures to me with their genuine concerns and help with anything I needed. Because of them, I no longer felt I was a nobody with no dreams of my own and I managed to graduate and succeed in everything I wanted to.

I did it for myself, no longer under my parents influence.

Being labeled as valedictorian was the last thing my parents could consider a gift from me. I knew that was something they wanted and while I held bitter feelings to them, I didn't hate them – I still don't, so I resolved to give them one last present. That would definitely be the last, because from that point on I was going my own way.

I graduated valedictorian and at high school graduation, my parents didn't show, and I expected as much - but I wasn't as broken hearted as I thought I would be because I had the rest of my peers and fellow graduates around me offering encouragement. Their support made it easy to deal with their absence.

That feeling of loneliness was suddenly... gone.

Leon and Claire were also there and their presence was more than enough to make me feel special. They acted as if they were my parents that entire day, even being kind enough to take me out for a congratulatory dinner – where I decided it was a good time to discuss my future with them.

Despite the usual college prep procedures and everything that was to go on before graduation, I never disclosed my ideas with anyone, not Leon, Claire and definitely not my parents. But that day at dinner with Claire and Leon, I finally voiced my plans and was relieved when they offered assistance to my cause.

So, at 18 years of age, I packed all my things and with her acceptance, I moved in with Claire.

I would be separating myself from my past to start anew. I would attend an university of my choosing, in a major I liked, once I had enough money to do so. Yes, I wanted to work for my own money, to live a life like the people I admired. I didn't want inheritance. I didn't want to live another day with William and Annette Birkin or like them.

From that day on, I, Sherry Birkin told myself I would achieve through my own efforts and desires.

It's funny though, how life seemed to stir me for a loop when an opportunity for employment brought with it a life altering experience that would place me in a predicament that would shape my future in a way I can only define as...

A Hexagon… of problems...

* * *

It was a busy day, undeterred by the pouring rain outside. Listening to the soothing sounds of the downpour, I leaned over the cool, white counter before me and slowly began to rest my head onto it. I was so ready to go on my break already, the rain outside made me long for a cat nap to ease my exhaustion.

Charlie's Coffee Shop was always either one of two things: a long drawn out day that would bore the hell out of me, or a hectic day that kept me smiling in the face of the usual bad scenery. Today was a bit of both and this was a rare event.

"Sherry?"

I jerked my head up instantly, wiping the small amount of drool that had threatened to drip out the corner of my mouth. Blinking my tired eyes, I cursed myself for dozing off on the job like this. My eyes made out a female figure. I recognized it was Cindy Lennox, one of my coworkers. She smiled sweetly at me, her pretty blue eyes shining as she did.

"Cindy! I'm so sorry I was - "

"It's okay, Sherry." she put a comforting hand on my back, "I just wanted to wake you before the new wave of customers showed up and..." I felt her pinch me and I nearly jumped out of my skin. "So you wouldn't miss your break or should I call it, 'catnap'." she giggled at me.

I smiled awkwardly, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Yep." was all she said as she turned away to waltz over towards a customer who had already been served, a pot of hot coffee in her hand. Most likely she was going to see if they wanted another serving.

I watched as her long blonde hair bounced within its ponytail. I began to feel for my own hair that I kept short. Maybe one day I would grow it. Maybe...

In the meantime, I was late for my break!

After grabbing my coat and umbrella, I gave a shout towards the only other worker besides Cindy and myself today - Brad Vickers to alert him of my departure. He worked in the far back of the shop making donuts and other sweets along with his partner Richard Aiken who today had the day off.

Brad acknowledged me with a smile and wave, sending me off with a salute. "See you in a bit!" he beamed and immediately afterwards, I walked out the place.

The wind was strong outside, the rain was even more aggressive now than before I dozed off inside the coffee shop. It was cold, typical autumn weather with dark, cloudy skies. It looked to be near 5 o'clock in the evening. I glanced at my watch as I stood beneath the large awning hovering over the opening to the shop, sheltering myself as much as I could before I made a dart towards my car. My watch said it was a little after 1:00. I sighed, wishing I was through with my shift but it wouldn't be over with until at 4:00.

I opened my umbrella and started to walk quickly to my dark green 2002 Ford Focus. I looked around, watching for possible threats to my safety, a frequent behavior of mine. I noticed the parking lot was bordering on empty except maybe a few scarce cars beside my own.

Typical, I go on break once business has died down dramatically. Then again, it was the lunch rush...

I pulled out my car keys from my black leather purse, unlocked the doors and sat down on the seat. Closing my umbrella, I sat it on the floor on the passenger's seat and shut the door. I gave a blissful sigh and closed my eyes. My car wasn't warm but it wasn't cold. Not that I cared, I was just ready to nap.

The rain beat mercilessly on the windshield. I was just about to doze off again until my stomach grumbled. I knew I should get some food but I was so tired.

I dozed off once more...

My stomach growled again.

"Great." I said aloud to myself. "Well, I've got an hour for break, may as well quickly go grab a snack and then crash until time to start my shift again..."

I put my keys into the ignition and turned it. My car started up with a hum and I flicked on the wind shield wipers. I reminded myself to be careful over and over to remember that the rain was pretty bad, I had to drive very carefully.

With a sigh and another grumble from my tummy, I backed out of the parking lot.

* * *

The Pita Sandwich shop wasn't very far from my job so I figured I would grab a chicken wrap and head back to work before my break ended.

I stood in a small line behind a couple with a little girl boosted up onto who I assumed was the father's (because he could very well be the child's brother in these times) shoulders, the female companion of the man was placing the order in with the cashier.

The place was well lit, giving a cheerful exposition with its many lights of blue, yellow and shades of green. It was a small place, nowhere for people to sit and chat, it was simply a stop and buy place, definitely perfect for people on the go.

Behind me the doors of entry seemed to open and shut frequently, the sound of the harsh rain never letting up as others entered and fell behind me in the line.

The couple before me left the line soon after they were given their food. As I stepped forward I heard them exit the restaurant through the glass doors. I smiled to the cashier and made my request. A minute or so later I was also leaving out the door.

I barely was able to open my umbrella as I stepped out into the raging weather. Stuffing my chicken wrap into my coat pocket, I bolted to my car just a few feet away and practically leaped inside.

Glancing at my watch I realized I had 30 minutes left of my break. That was okay with me. I would drive back to the shop, eat my chicken wrap and then hopefully take a ten minute nap.

* * *

"Shift's almost over! Yay!" I heard Cindy squeal to me as she walked by with a platter of empty coffee cups. I ceased wiping the table in front of me and looked to her with a small smile on my face - I knew what she was thinking about.

"That's right! It's girl's night out!" she beamed with a sweet smile like always, "You're coming right, Sherry dear?" she was looking at me over her shoulder. Perfect model shot if you asked me - she was tall and pretty enough for it.

"Maybe," I started, returning to my cleaning regime. The wooden table was already shining with its off-white color but I wanted to make sure it was in tip top shape for when our manager would come through in the morning before we would.

Cindy just sighed softly with what I was sure was out of frustration, "Come on Sherry! You haven't come out with us in a while!" she sat the platter onto the front counter - our usual station but it was twenty minutes until closing time so we were wrapping up the shop for closing time.

I felt a pang of guilt settle in my stomach; I would love to go but I just didn't have the money for it this time around. I had some things to straighten up with my apartment's landlord. I couldn't take the risk of going out shopping and blowing money this weekend... I just couldn't.

"Sorry Cindy," I forced a grin onto my face, "You girls have fun tonight though. I've just got some things to fix up so I'm booked for the weekend."

She sighed but nodded in understanding, "Alright... maybe next time."

Yeah, maybe next time...

Just then, Brad emerged from the back with his coat and everything else he needed to take with him for his leave. He grinned to us, "What a day, huh ladies?" Cindy and I nodded in union to him. "Well, we better be out of here soon or me might get stuck for the night. There's another flash flood warning saying the rain's gonna get worse - 'posed to take place in the next hour or so."

Immediately, I went grab my things again for the last time of the day, clocked out and waited by the door with Brad as Cindy emerged from the back with her things as well.

"I guess girl's night is cancelled for today." Cindy sighed.

Brad walked to the front window and flipped the open sign to closed while I pushed the door open, battling a losing battle against the storm outside. Brad ushered Cindy and myself out and shut the door behind him, locking it with the keys as Cindy and I opened our umbrellas against the even more powerful winds.

"Wow," Cindy shouted over the howling gusts. "I hope we don't lose our umbrellas to this! Or even worse, mess up our hair!"

"Mine is already messed up!" I shouted back to her as we laughed.

"Come on girls, I'll get you to your cars!" Brad called.

We followed him, the wind blowing our coats and hair around wildly. Cindy's car was closest so she got in hers first but not before saying thanks, goodbye and telling us to be careful. I was next and boy was I grateful because it was very, very cold now. I stepped into my car and thanked Brad for being courteous enough to concern himself with my safety. He nodded to me against the storms raging rainfall and immediately rushed to his truck.

Within three minutes we were out of the parking lot and on our way home.

* * *

Things were really starting to look grim for me. My landlord was very money hungry, seeming to raise my payments every time it was due and for reasons he could never fully elaborate on. I was growing frustrated and beginning to really question my moving out of Claire's so soon. I should have known minimum wage just wouldn't cut it.

That night I sat at home, huddled up on my couch with a blanket, hot cocoa in my hand and my small television was on. I was watching the news to keep updated on the storm outside. The coffee shop was in the area of a hurricane warning now, much worse than what Brad heard. Tall Oaks (where I lived) as well as a city called Herstine were the ones under the flash flood warning.

I was worried. I truly was. Charlie's Coffee Shop was in the middle of a possible hurricane and if the place suffered any serious damage, I was sure to be out of a job.

The coffee shop was a city away from Tall Oaks, the city was called Junery, while the shop was in a small town called Seri. It was just off the express way lying between Junery and the other town, Herstine located on the other side was full of travelers and people looking forward to vacations and fun. It was because of Herstine that the shop was always frequented by people on the go, be it for the long road trips, morning coffee, or just because they were coffee lovers at heart.

I applied to work at the place for that very reason. My love for coffee was strong too... and a nice donut never hurt either.

I loved working at Charlie's Coffee Shop just as much as I loved coffee - which was a lot, but on days like these, I just felt distressed. I worked full time there, trying to make ends meet when it came to my apartment and utilities. I would work whenever I could, but despite all the hours I worked, I could never manage to make enough money to pay for the important things and have extra on the side.

Topped off with constant anxieties I felt whenever a storm occurred, this job just felt more like an encumbrance than an advantage.

I began to pace the carpet floors of my small apartment, it did little to provide me solace at the moment. It was a simple apartment, the living room took up most of the space. It was a one bedroom, one bathroom flat with a kitchen within the same vicinity as the living room. Nothing too special but at least it was clean and affordable - that is, whenever the landlord wasn't bugging me.

Minimum wage was not easy to manage. Claire told me that numerous times and she was right as always. But I would tell myself I didn't care. I was just excited at the semblance of finally - at 22 years old - being able to move out of Claire's home and officially be on my own [much to her dismay because not only are we like mother and daughter, we're best friends].

In hindsight, I shouldn't have made such a rash decision.

I hugged my blanket tighter around my body as I looked out a small window to the left of my loveseat. I could barely see anything outside. With a sigh, I picked up my cell and began to text Leon and Claire, I needed cheering up - badly.

**One heck of a storm outside, huh? **I texted and then balled up on the loveseat again with the tv remote in my hand. I turned the tv down and began to listen to the rain, feeling overwhelmed.

Leon texted me back first. _**Yeah, you said it. How you holding up kiddo?**_

**I'm alright**, I lied, **How are you**?

_**Doing well, got promoted to a more 'dangerous' job! **_I imagined him grinning with a Kool-Aid smile. Leon was a pretty serious guy but he was charming and silly as well.

**You're joking right? **I wondered, no way he could tell me that information if it were true right?

_**Very serious. Can't tell you what it is though**_. I sighed, typical him being so busy, well, at least he's got a nice paying job...

Just then, Claire began to ring my phone. I answered and asked her to hold for a second before she could even say hello. I texted Leon and congratulated him then promised to give him another text later. He responded by giving me an okay, and then told me to be careful.

"Sorry about that, Claire." I said softly, returning to the call.

"That's okay Sherry, I'm sure Leon's bragging to you about the new job, huh?"

I giggled, "Not really, but yeah, he's geeked." I flinched as I heard thunder roar outside. "Um, Claire, it's storming outside, what're you doing calling in a storm?"

"I'm not in the city so I had no clue," she said anxiously, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where are you if you're not here?"

"I'm in New York and I have something very important to ask you."

I felt a little nervous oddly; she sounded almost too solemn, "...What is it?"

"Okay, I'll make it quick so we can get off the line. Sherry, I just got a job offering in Europe - "

Was everyone getting new jobs but me?

" - and since Leon will most likely be unavailable majority of the time, I was hoping you would come with me."

My heart stopped. What did she say? "... What?!"

"Yeah, do you want to come to Europe with me? I'm going to be involved in some social work there for a while. I can't pass this chance up, Sher! I want you to come along. Who knows? You might find some nice employment over here and with luck, we'll both find a boyfriend!" she laughed.

I was speechless. Europe? Oh boy, that sounded wonderful but... my job...

"My job..." I started. "What about my job?"

"It's up to you, Sher. I won't force you sweetheart. Look, I'll be leaving on Thursday. If you want to come along you've got to contact me by Wednesday morning, okay?"

Lightning flashed outside and I knew I definitely should get off the line, "Okay, Claire. I'll let you know by then, okay?" I sighed softly.

"Think well about this Sherry. It's an opportunity to truly find yourself. Europe isn't much different than America... I think." I smiled at her silliness. "And think of the different scenery. You can try anything you want to see where your heart truly lies."

I smiled even wider, "Thanks Claire."

"I mean it Sherry, think about it."

"I will."

"Okay, I'll let you go now, be careful, stay strong and I'll text you in the morning - hopefully the storm will be over by then."

"Okie dokie." I rhyme cutely to her.

"Love you, Sher."

"Love you too, Claire."

The call ended when we both hung up.

With a sigh, I got up from the couch, my blanket still wrapped around me. I'd felt so anxious earlier, so unsure about my future, but suddenly I was feeling... relieved. I had a choice now as I decided to weigh the pros and cons in my head for both situations.

I could stay here where I enjoyed greeting people at the coffee shop and serving them with a smile. I could stay here with the faces I'd grown to love and enjoy coffee as I please. But I'd also be working minimum wage and struggling to get by as I constantly had to battle it out with my landlord. Not to mention the hurricanes that constantly threatened my job in the first place.

If I stay here, the truth is, I'll be at high risk to lose more than I could gain.

I thought about going to Europe - another country and a place I'd never been before and didn't have much clue about because of how vast it was. I knew a bit about places like England, but not much besides that they spoke English, had adorable accents and had a handsome prince who got married recently. But that was just one culture out of so many more.

There was France, Spain... I felt so clueless.

That would be the cons of all of this. So many languages I didn't know, besides maybe a little French. I had no clue of the terrains there either.

But, at least I'd be with Claire and she was right, it would be a nice change of scenery. I might be able to find a very nice job there and I'd finally be able to see more of the world like I always wanted [since my parents had always kept me sheltered]... and hell...

I wouldn't mind a boyfriend at all.

I smiled to myself before glancing at the microwave clock in the kitchen. It was a quarter to midnight. I cut off the tv and passed out on the couch, too exhausted to make it to my bedroom.

I had to be to work by 8 am tomorrow...

I sighed, snuggling up in my blanket and closing my eyes.

_Let's see what tomorrow has to offer._

* * *

The shop wasn't damaged much to everyone's relief, including myself, but we were experiencing some power outages in the entire area as a direct result of the hurricane.

The manager gave Cindy and myself a call early morning and told us we were free of work until the power was restored. Cindy was relieved, I wasn't. We were off without pay - and this spelled bad news for me come my next paycheck. I was certain I wouldn't be able to afford to pay the monthly fee for my apartment next month if even **one** check was cut short.

The same thought crossed my mind over and over. I had to fight the itch to call Claire and accept her invitation. I wanted to make a wise decision, I wanted to be patient and wait this out until tomorrow, Wednesday morning. By then, if my boss called me in to work or not, I would know what choice to make and from there I would call Claire to confirm it with her. It would be last minute of me, but what else could I do...?

"What are you doing, Sherry?" I asked myself quietly as I stood in my kitchen, a cup of orange juice in my hand. I stared at the brown tiles that complimented the eggshell colored walls around me.

I was being difficult.

I wanted to talk to someone about all of this, but I was hesitant about talking to Claire about it. I knew she wanted me to come with her. I needed to speak with someone who could give me the bright side of staying in the U.S. point of view right now.

I thought of Cindy. If I left, I would miss her. We weren't the closest friends but we did depend on each other from time to time and we got along very well. She invited me out for drinks and movies with her friends Alyssa Ashcroft, a reporter for the Herstine newspaper and a rookie cop who I was certain was in love with her, Kevin Ryman. They were nice people but I wasn't really interested in establishing friendships with them.

Sometimes I still struggle to form relationships with others...

Cindy on the other hand was always nice to work with. I was fond of her, her sweet smiles and girly traits. I enjoyed sitting with her whenever we had breaks [and I wasn't exhausted and ready for nap]. We would tell jokes to each other and talk about our future plans. We were both the same age [22], we were both blonde, tall [even though she was taller than me by 3 inches], and I liked to think that I was pretty as her.

Once during one of our breaks, Cindy and I got into the discussion about why we were working at the shop and what we wanted to do that was 'better'. Cindy was working at Charlie's because she was hoping to do the same thing as me which was gather enough money to attend a university somewhere. Only difference was that Cindy knew what she wanted: she wanted to become a registered nurse.

As I stood there in the kitchen sipping my juice, I wondered to myself about my own goals. Claire's words came to my mind again.

_**It's an opportunity to truly find yourself...**_

_**...You can try anything you want to see where your heart truly lies.**_

Perhaps if I joined Claire I could do just that. I could find myself and see where my heart would take me.

_But-_

My indecisiveness was killing me. I picked up my cell off the counter beside the microwave and dialed Leon's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi!" I greeted him, my glee was a bit forced.

"Hey, I see you made it through the storm kiddo! How are you doing?" he was pleasant as always.

"Yeah I did and so did you." I giggled a bit, "I'm a bit stuck with a problem... if you're not busy...?"

"I'm free for an hour," I let out a sound of relief. "What's on your mind, Sherry?"

"Leon, Claire called me yesterday and told me something that I'm not sure should make me happy… or not."

"What did she tell you?"

I explained to him my personal dilemma first, then went on to the entire conversation I shared with Claire. I knew Leon liked to put two and two together by being filled in - before I would try and explain my feelings about a matter. He would always say it was because the facts would give him an idea of the feelings that would follow, afterwards he could possibly provide a solution for me. If I told him my feelings before the ordeal, it would complicate things for him.

Men...

"Well Sherry, I imagine you're feeling as if you're on a train with two different routes and both routes don't seem to have a destination that you're sure of -" I sighed, thinking the same thing. "- At least, that's what you think."

"What do you mean?" I wondered.

"Well, I'm sure you've weighed both options so far right?" I answered him, yes. "Sherry, it's up to you to decide which route you want to take, but you need to really consider Claire's offer. If you stay where you are and risk the money issues further you might end up in quite a predicament. You could move in with me but I'm hardly home and with this new job I'm taking I'll be moving around frequently so you'd be alone quite often."

I listened to him very closely.

"But what's the worst that could happen if you go with Claire? You might not get a job right away but Claire's never had a problem keeping you around. She always told me how helpful you were and how you never caused her any trouble. When she told me about your job she was worried that you'd struggle - and you say you are, right?"

"Yeah..." I answered gravelly.

"Claire knows that and that's why she wants you to come along for the ride. There's nothing wrong with going with her Sherry, but there is something wrong with staying where you are - full of worries and troubles. Especially since you refuse to accept help from us." he laughed.

I smiled and laughed a bit myself, "But my job..." my sour mood returned tenfold.

"I know Sherry, I know..."

* * *

5:22 am

My boss called my phone. The coffee shop was back up and running and he expected me clocked in by 8.

I would be returning to the minimum wage work that lead me nowhere. I was risking a lot I realized, that was why I made my decision the night before when I called Claire.

I took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me." I listened to him questioning me, confused for the moment but I was about to make everything clear. "I'm... leaving today. I'm going to Europe."

* * *

Claire pulled up in front of my apartment building in a red crossover SUV. She beeped the horn with a silly grin on her face for me as I lugged my many travel bags of clothes, supplies and anything else I could carry out of my apartment towards her. She hopped out and helped me load everything in her crossover, she was almost overtly giddy as she did so, humming a tune and cheesing like she just got laid.

I almost collapsed into a fit of giggles.

"This everything?" she asked looking from the piles of bags all around me and back to her ride.

"Yep, well, except my car." I chuckled still stuck on my earlier thought.

She nodded, "Get in it and drive ok?"

I looked at her confused, "Where am I taking-"

"You could leave it at the airport or leave it with Leon since he's got a garage for it... or have it brought overseas by boat." She shrugged, "I'm leaving mine at my brother's house."

"How - I mean, if you're driving it to the airport?"

"Chris and his friend Jill are going to meet us there tomorrow. Jill's gonna drive his truck back to his house and he's gonna take mine." she answered calmly, getting back into her vehicle. "You want to leave yours at Leon's?"

I nodded, digging in my pockets for my keys. "Yeah, if he's okay with it."

"He doesn't have a choice - he never does when it comes to our needs!" she grinned and cackled like a devious hyena. "But you can call him. Tell him you're dropping your car off with him, along with the keys. He's got a big tall mail box you could drop them into that only he can open with his key."

"How do you know?" pressed, teasingly. I liked to tease the two of them because they seemed like a couple at times but in the end, they were more like siblings. I knew this but it was still a little fun.

"We swapped cars all the time remember? He's a terrible driver, so to keep his record clean we always swapped and that's where I would leave his keys and mine when I was done." I laughed. "Well, enough about that. Come on, we'll drop off your car and head to my place. We've got a long day tomorrow and it's starts bright and early!"

I smiled and felt a sudden overwhelming feeling of sentiment and nostalgia. I looked at my apartment building, taking in the tall tower with its open balconies and flowery platters. The freshly cut grass before it. The black rooftop with white brick siding.

I'd just done this with my apartment room. It felt maudlin for me but this would be the last time I would look at the walls in my room and gaze upon this building I stayed in for four months. This was my first independent experience - my first place of my own, Charlie's coffee shop was my first job where I had to put every penny where it was needed.

I would never forget it.

But it was time for a change.

Getting into my car, I started it up immediately, glancing out my rear view mirror at Claire as she started off down the busy streets of Tall Oaks, expecting me to follow. I smiled once again and whispered a quiet goodbye to my old life, then pulled off driving after Claire.

It was time for a new start. I had no regrets.

* * *

As I sat in my seat on the plane, I had large smile on my face. I had the window seat so I was able to peer out at the clouds as much as I pleased. Even though Claire and I didn't have seats next to each other, I could see her a few seats ahead of me - listening to music on her iPhone. I had headphones on as well, listening to a few songs Claire had downloaded onto my cell. Some new song had came on that was by Maroon 5 and I rather liked it.

I pulled off my headphones for brief moment, only to hear a child crying behind me.

"Marlowe, you have to be quiet now. You don't want to disturb the other people riding the plane do you?" came a firm but quiet voice.

"I gotta go pee!" I could practically imagine the child squirming in their seat as they fussed. "I gotta go!"

"Marlowe..." the man sounded very frustrated.

I picked up enough nerve to take a gander behind me and noticed a little boy, who looked to be maybe three or four years old. He was wiggling viciously in his seat and struggling with his seat belt. Beside him was a man who I can only describe as intimidating. He was clad in all black. I could even make out a black turtle neck underneath his leather trench coat. Topped off with the fact that he wore black sunglasses on a plane. The only thing that wasn't black on him was his blonde hair.

"Daddy! I gotta pee!"

The kid was super cute. He looked like a plush teddy bear in his full body coat with overalls. He was like a splash of color beside his father with his blue and white scheme topped off with a lavender knit winter hat and matching rubber boots. He was way over dressed for autumn weather but he still looked so cute.

"Marlowe..." the man said again.

I hatched an idea and sat up from my seat to tip-toe towards the two. As I neared them, I smiled and looked to the father. I felt nervous but I really wanted to help the little fussy child.

"Um, I was just on my way to the restroom... shall I help him?" the father gave me a sharp look behind those shades of his. I felt my nerves worsen. "He... can go first since he's so anxious..." I chuckled awkwardly.

The little boy, Marlowe looked at me from his seat belt prison. The belt was across his cheek and the other part strapping him firmly around the chest to the seat. He'd wiggled himself there... "I gotta pee bad daddy..."

I almost squealed at his cuteness but I maintained my calm and turned back to the father. "That is... if you're okay with it...?"

He stared at me for a moment, "Sure, that would be fine."

I breathed out in relief quietly. I turned to Marlowe to help him out the seat belt. Immediately, he began to make an awkward stumble towards the bathroom. I followed suit to make sure he would be okay.

In front of the door, he struggled with his coat overalls and after a brief fidget, he looked innocently at me - his big blue eyes almost mimicked my own. "Help me, please?"

I grinned. "Sure!" I crouched down and unbuckled the coat for him. With a thanks, he practically ripped them off and then he bolted into the room.

While he was inside, I picked up the bottom coat and took it to the father. "Um, here, he struggled with them... maybe he could keep them off while he's on the plane? It'd make it easier for him and you." I teased him a bit with a small grin on my face, hoping to ease some of the tension I was feeling.

"Hm, perhaps so." I felt relief again. "Thank you for your assistance. He is quite a handful."

"He's adorable."

"Hmph, he's a busy body." I smiled again. Well, at least the father wasn't too bad, but he was still a bit scary.

Just then, Marlowe emerged from the restroom. He pranced around me to get to his father and gave him a big grin. "I did it! No accidents!"

"That's great," I said softly. I didn't understand why I felt a need to give him approval... maybe it's because his father simply nodded to him before reaching for a newspaper article to read.

_This all looks familiar..._

"Thank you lady!" Marlowe said to me as he crawled back onto his seat next to his dad. "What'cha doing daddy?"

His father peeked at him, showed him the paper, and then returned to doing his pleasures. I wanted to believe he was just tired, anything to explain the detachment but my gut told me otherwise.

"I'm assuming you never had to use the restroom." I froze as he spoke to me. "You simply wanted to help my boy didn't you?"

I felt my face grow hot, "Y-Yes..."

"You look like a cherry face!" Marlowe shouted at me. I laughed internally, but his father was scaring me again.

"Um, sorry to disturb you, I'll go have a seat now..." I felt an urge to run for my seat but I told myself to remain calm. I started to walk away but turned to glance back at Marlowe's glowing face. "Be good to your father, ok? He's tired."

Marlowe looked from his dad and back to me, "Okay lady!"

As I returned to my seat, I picked up a book beside me, anything for entertainment. The book was titled _Alice in Wonderland_. I remembered it from my childhood, I once had a nanny who read it to me, well, before she was fired a year into my life by my mother who accused her of what I now knew as encouraging my father to commit adultery.

I highly doubt my sixty year old nanny wanted to bang my father...

For old times' sake, I opened the book and began to read it. Soon I was sucked into book entirely but soon after, a small blur to my side caught my attention. When I looked though, there was nothing there. Something told me to look behind me, so I did and immediately caught sight of a snickering Marlowe, etching around the seat next to me, to peek at me.

I reckoned I would play along to humor him. I couldn't help but wonder how he got out of his seat belt and away from his father anyway. I was able to see a newspaper held up by two hands a couple seats away, and I got my answer.

Every time Marlowe peeked at me, I would smile at him. He yipped and ducked to hide. I came to the second seat and peered around it just as he was doing the same and caught him red-handed.

"Aw, you found me!" he pouted.

"I think you found me first though, didn't you?" I encouraged him. I never got a chance to play much when I was his age so I fancied I would help him, even if for just a while.

"...Yea I did!" he cheered, "I win!"

"Excuse me." I heard one of the flight attendants interject, she approached Marlowe and myself with a scowl. "I'm sorry ma'am but your son is going to have to have a seat."

_My son?_

My jaw dropped, "O-Oh no he i-isn't mine - "

"Marlowe," his father's stern voice sounded out. "Come sit down, now."

Marlowe's lips formed into another pout, "Okay... I just wanted to sit with the pretty lady..." he said sadly.

As he sulked back to his seat, I don't know what came over me... "Um, wait!" I called out, catching his, the attendant and his father's attention. "Would he be able to sit next to me? I have a children's book right here and I don't mind reading it to him."

The attendant looked from Marlowe's father, to the kid and then back to me. "It's up to the father."

His dad looked to him, "You may sit with her, so long as you will stay put."

Marlowe jumped up, hugged his father's neck [oddly he didn't budge from it at all] and before I knew it, he was right beside me, a wide grin on his bright face. "I'll be good, I promise!"

He warmed my heart in that instance. I barely knew this kid yet he... was so precious. "Okay, I believe you. But... you have to do me a favor." He gave me a wide eyed blank gaze, "Put this seat belt on and as a reward I'll read to you this book, okay?" I held up Alice in Wonderland for him to observe.

He scooted himself further onto the chair and like a sweetheart, allowed me to snap a seat belt around him without protest.

"There we are!" I cheered for him, "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome." he mumbled softly.

I was shocked to see him settling down so quickly. I was even more stunned that just a couple pages into the picture book, he had fallen asleep.

He was even cuter when he slept.

I started to feel a bit drowsy myself at that moment. I leaned my head back against the pillow and closed my eyes, letting sleep take me.

* * *

"So," Claire started once we disembarked the plane "I drifted in and out of sleep during the flight but I do recall glancing back a couple times and seeing you play with a cute little kid. I guess I really am rubbing off on you, huh?" she laughed.

I grinned widely, shifting my bags around in my arms. "He was so precious Claire."

"Aw, sounds like you got a soft spot for the kid." she sighed, "Too bad you probably won't see him again..."

"Actually..." I looked down for a moment and took in a deep breath to prepare her for what would surely shock her, "I will definitely see him again."

"How?" she wondered, her eyes searching my face in curiosity.

"Before I've even made it to our residence, I can't believe I've been offered a job already!" I squealed the last part and Claire's mouth hung open.

"No way! That's great! What's the job?!" she took my hands and gave me the biggest and prettiest smile. "Tell me!"

"The kid's father offered me a job - I'm gonna be his nanny!"

* * *

A/N: UPDATED (08/30/2013)

Corrected typos and errors.

For newcomers to this fic, I hope you will continue on in this fic and have fun with it as it is full of laughs, romance and plenty of touching moments. Enjoy! ;)

-Vio


	2. House of Wesker

Chapter 2:

House of Wesker

* * *

A week had gone by since Claire and I settled into our cozy little home in London, England. Marlowe's father, whose name I had yet to learn at the time [another strange fact I could add to the list for the man], had allowed me a week to get cozy in the new town before my official interview with him. I appreciated it too because I was ready to be latched to Claire by the hip for a while until my '**C****aution - New Surroundings**' alerts died down a bit.

I came to realize that a week surely wasn't enough time when I received a phone call from Marlowe's dad [who left a message on my cell - finally telling me that his name was Albert Wesker]. He said he expected me present at his manor on Monday at noon sharp.

"Do you want me to come with you or something?" Claire asked me Saturday evening as we toured our neighborhood once again - for my sake. "You seem nervous."

"I'm fine!" I lied, giggling to ease her. I wasn't helpless or super needy but I was indeed nervous about all of this. "...but if you wanted to come along with me anyway, I'm okay with that." I was almost begging her.

She grinned almost like the Cheshire cat towards me, "I knew it!" she laughed heartily, embarrassing me. "I understand though, this would be your first time out of the country right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying this so far! The sights are unforgettable..." I smiled to her. "I'm... just a bit nervous about this interview. I mean, it isn't too soon? What if I mess up?"

She shook her head at me, silent for a moment as our footsteps echoed along the concrete. It was the only sound to be heard during at that time. It was evening time but wasn't too late. In the U.S, I would assume it to be near 8 pm but Claire insisted that I start learning military time as per custom. _Okay, so that would mean it's like 20:00_.

"You'll do fine, Sher. I know you will." she finally spoke, looking at me with warm cerulean blue eyes. "You came here for the experience, just like I have. So, even if this doesn't work out, you have time to try anything you please."

I grinned and held my head high as we turned around the corner for the third time and neared our residence. A tall and comfy looking semi-detached house [two houses side by side / together] that was adorable inside and out. Claire reminded me over and over to remember the distinct colors, blue and white so that I wouldn't get lost.

Throughout the week we had done this, getting an idea of our neighborhood from every which angle possible. We'd taken a subway trip to another area on Wednesday after our first few days of mapping, just to test ourselves. We'd caught the subway during the afternoon and didn't return home until dark...

After much struggle we finally were able to learn this place without issue. For now, we'd just gotten back from heading into a diner for dinner that was just a couple blocks away. Besides Wednesday, we had never been out much during the evening so I asked Claire could we tour the area once again so that I could see the night sights and be aware of how everything looked under different radiance.

As we closed in on the front door, our new neighbor [living in the other part of terrace] peeked out her curtain and waved to us. She was a sweet older lady who greeted us affectionately on our first day. Her name was Marjorie Huttles, or Nanna Huttles as we were told to call her.

Claire and I waved back to her with a smile and entered our home.

As I hung up our coats, Claire removed her shoes and walked further into the house to flick on some lights. She lit up the kitchen, hallway and a moment later, the living room. I followed behind her for a moment, and then walked up a small flight of stairs and into my room.

_Beep, Beep_.

My cell was dying fast, I simply had to plug it in or the sound would drive me nuts.

The abode was amazing. To say I was grateful to Claire's TerraSave employers would be an understatement. The inside was perfect with its modern English decor; even my room was exquisite with its light pastel colors, elegant bedding and furniture that almost seemed antique. I loved everything about the place, from its fancy getup to the delightful wood scent that came from the floors.

"Sherry!" Claire called from downstairs.

I plugged my phone into an outlet beside my full sized bed and exited my room to go to her.

Once downstairs, she and I sat down in the living room in front of the television, stuffing our faces with some of the leftovers we brought back with us from the diner. They had cake there and well, I love cake.

"Okay, I'll come with you tomorrow."

I stopped cramming my mouth to look at her. "Really?" it sounded more like '_Bweally_?'.

"Yep." she said with a smile on her face as she flipped through the TV channels.

"I appreciate it. Apparently it's on the other side of the city... " I made a face. "What's more is Mr. Wesker is kind of creepy..."

"You sure you wanna work for a creeper?"

I shivered. "Course not! But... I mean, I've only met him once. He might be nicer than I think..."

"We'll just have to see, huh?"

* * *

Claire escorted me to the Wesker residence. We arrived a little early, 11:34 to be exact.

The house wasn't far from where Claire and I were staying but it did require us to catch a couple buses through the busy areas as it was in a district that from what I observed was almost like the U.S suburbs. It was very easy to spot too; it was one of the biggest houses on the block.

Claire and I walked side by side to the manor. It was a lovely house, definitely for wealthy persons. I began to wonder exactly what job did Mr. Wesker work to have a home of such high quality.

It was simply colored [beige], made of brick from what I could see and stood not too far off the ground. There looked to be three floors - if not including a possible basement and maybe an attic. There were many windows along the house and with the bright day - I was surprised to see light shaded drapes closed. The front twin doors were the same color as the curtains shielding the windows. A large yard surrounded the house, green grass was freshly cut and aligning the yard was a driveway entrance that stretched towards and around the house, including the attached garage.

"Nice place, maybe I could work here." Claire said almost too seriously. "I was a nanny once, remember?"

"You have a job - let me have this one!"

Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the front step and knocked softly with the door knocker three times. I remembered we were early but I was just trying to a make a good impression on my [hopefully] new boss.

"Ready?" Claire whispered, giving me a comforting back rub.

"Y-Yeah... I think."

After a good moment, the door opened up and there stood Mr. Wesker, still clad in all black and rocking the same shades as I saw him wear before - a whole week ago. He looked me up and down, a small half smile slowly began to grace his mysterious features. "Miss Birkin, how lovely that you've made it - early too."

I simpered a bit. "U-Um yes, I'm sorry, is that a bad?" I cursed myself for being so nervous.

"No, it's perfectly fine." he looked to Claire, "Hello, I don't believe we've met?"

I turned to her; she was eyeing him strangely and I felt dread overcome me. "Um, this is Claire. She was once my guardian until I got older but we're still very close - she walked me here and - "

Claire cut me off before I began to ramble, "Claire Redfield, nice to meet you, Mr. Wesker." I was grateful she was being respectful - Claire wasn't very good with strange guys.

She held out her hand to him and he shook it courteously. "Please, come inside."

I gave Claire's other hand a squeeze before we entered, signaling my gratitude to her. I could tell by her biting her lip that she was really holding back.

The inside of the house was even more amazing than the outside! The living room was just inside the door, couches lined up in front of a large fireplace, unlit at the time. The walls were littered with large photos of landscapes and other decorations, a large chandelier hung elegantly from the ceiling. A square glass coffee table was centered by the couches.

Some feet away was a long set of spiral stairs and a hallway that seemed to lead to some pretty big rooms and I could make out a stretch of tall glass down that hall that was probably the portal to the backyard.

Across from the staircase was a pair of wooden double doors with exquisite doorknobs. I looked towards Mr. Wesker and noticed that along the same wall as the couches, there was another hallway, it looked a bit narrower than the one before us.

"Wow..." Claire and I chorused and we looked at each other, grinning. I felt an itch to go exploring just like I had when Claire and I first arrived at our abode.

Mr. Wesker chuckled and walked ahead of us, instructing us to follow him towards the narrow hallway closest to us. "Come, we will discuss these matters in my study."

We eagerly followed, admiring every detail of the estate along the way.

His study was more like a freaking library! The room was surrounded by bookshelves and even had a second floor with even more books. Claire and I just gazed in awe; our mouths were open the entire time.

"Come, my desk room is just this way."

We followed behind him, the sounds of our boots echoed as we stepped along the glossy wooden floors. I nearly slipped as we entered his office. Thank goodness Claire caught me before I fell. I blushed as I almost tugged her down with me.

His desk room was rectangular in shape but not small or too large. A leather loveseat was before his neat and organized wooden desk, a small unlit lamp lay beside stacked folders and books of a genre I wasn't sure. The room was brightly lit by the early morning sun, the light coming from the glass roof hovering above.

Mr. Wesker moved behind his desk and beckoned to us the loveseat. "Please, sit." we obliged and he sat in his own office chair. "Now, before you begin with questions, allow me to answer a few for you - to give you some background on myself and my family."

Claire and I listened quietly from our spot.

"My family and I tend to travel quite often, most of the time back and forth between the States and here in England. This is a temporary place of residence that we tend to come to every fall season - for business related endeavors. We are Americans and I'm assuming that you are as well?" I nodded. "Hmm, moving on."

"Should you accept this job you will be traveling along with us quite a bit as your responsibility will be to look out for my son. However, there is even more to this job than just that I am afraid."

_Traveling babysitter job? _I felt excited but I was anxious to hear more.

"We are a moderately sized family, consisting of myself, my wife Stephanie, and my two boys - Jake and the little one you've already met, Marlowe."

The idea of taking care of two kids sounded very difficult...

"My wife is ill I'm afraid, so she is upstairs in her room and unable to do much. As for my son, Jake, he is 20 years of age and very rebellious - therefore, not much help at all. But he does come through every blue moon, still, the activities of his personal life aren't child friendly."

_Phew, Jake's 20 which means I'm only looking out for Marlowe_. I thought to myself, but something about the other son got my mind to wonder briefly until Mr. Wesker spoke once more.

"Therefore, I am in need of not only a nanny, but a housekeeper and cook. Are you willing to do this?"

I nodded slowly, thinking about the times I'd cleaned up at the coffee shop and helped Brad make pastries and sweets. _How hard could it be? _"Sure, I don't mind."

He nodded. "Since we aren't a very large family, this shouldn't be too difficult. Stephanie has a nurse who stops by once a day to check on her condition so you don't have to worry much about her, except with meal plans because you will have to take the food to her. Jake is barely home as he's always out and about doing something, in the event that he is here at the house it is mostly to visit Stephanie and see Marlowe. Don't be surprised if majority of the time after he mingles with his mother he spends it in the den or the bar downstairs in the basement."

"You have a bar here?" Claire asked almost _too_ excitedly.

Mr. Wesker smirked, he was oddly handsome then, even with the glasses. "Yes and I would be honored to show you whenever you like."

_Is he... Is he flirting with Claire...?_

"Oh no!" Claire giggled, "I mean, I like wine as much as the next person but I really shouldn't drink. I'm really _extra_ when I drink."

"It's true." I added to tease her.

"Ah, well, that's interesting." his gaze came to me once again, "Before I go on about Marlowe, I feel a need to ask you about yourself Miss Birkin. Tell me, have you worked with children before?"

"No," I answered honestly, "But I'm willing to do whatever I can for Marlowe and your family, Mr. Wesker."

"He's quite taken with you. In fact, he talks about you almost excessively."

"Wow... Really? I'm glad to hear!" I blushed with a smile.

Claire grinned, "She talks about Marlowe a lot too. Hasn't stopped since we've arrived."

A ghost of a smile came to Mr. Wesker's face again, "How about cooking and cleaning? Are you capable?"

"I'm a great cleaner. I worked at a coffee shop before coming here and all I did was serve customers, clean and I even made desserts for them whenever the help was needed."

"Good to know. Marlowe will be a handful with his willfulness and unlimited amount of energy. I imagine since you've worked such a busy life serving caffeine lovers you're quite plentiful with energy yourself, yes?"

I nodded once - quite stiffly too as I started remembering my moments of sleeping on the job. I definitely couldn't do that with a 3 year-old boy. "... I'm pretty active..."

"If it isn't too private, may I ask what happened at your previous job? What I mean to say is, why did you stop working there?"

I paused, thinking things over. I couldn't tell him about the pay, I couldn't tell him about my landlord... what could I say? "Um, well, I just wanted to try something different. So I came here with Claire."

"Hm, how old are you, Miss Birkin?"

"I am 22."

"Last question, would you be willing to accept this job - living in this home with Marlowe and my family?"

My jaw almost hit the floor. "You mean-" I looked at Claire, she was just as shocked as me.

"Yes. Would you be willing to be a live-in Nanny and housekeeper for my family?"

I looked at Claire, anxious to answer. That would be a big decision. I just moved here with Claire! "Wow... I..." I looked back and forth from Mr. Wesker to my dumbfounded friend and former guardian. "Um, Claire...? What do you think?"

I jumped as she pinched me. "You better accept this offer Sher! _Do it_!" she suddenly started shouting at me, and then shaking me. "Look at this opportunity - you dare question me about your future?!"

"C-Claire!"

"He has bar, Sherry! _A bar_!"

"_Claire_!"

"Miss Redfield...?"

Claire let me go instantly and giggled. "S-Sorry... it's just, I'm really rooting for her, ya know and I - "

"Should she accept, you're free to stop by and enjoy the bar." I saw Claire's eyes light up like stars.

A second later, both pairs of eyes were on me. Claire looked a little too desperate, but Mr. Wesker was calm as always. I was really feeling pressured but I told myself to relax and breath over and over. I needed a moment to think but I was feeling overwhelmed by the new proposal.

"Craziness aside, Sher, it's up to you." Claire said gently, snapping me out of my thoughts. She rested a hand on my shoulder. "I'm with you no matter what."

"I don't know. I mean, I'll have to go back to the house and pack. We just moved there - you'll be there alone -"

"Sherry, I would've been there alone if you hadn't had come with me in the first place." she laughed a bit. "That doesn't bother me and I would never try to hold you back from pursuing your own path with anything, you know that. Besides, you're not that far away from me. We can visit each other, right Mr. Wesker?"

He nodded, waiting patiently for my answer.

"You sure you're okay with this?" I whispered softly.

"Don't worry about me. Think about yourself. Think about why you came with me in the first place."

I lowered my head in thought. She was right, I came here for opportunities and this one was a fantastic one. I had to weigh the options here.

_- Wait, there are no other options! It's either take the job with a cute, awesome kid and fantastic house, or go back with Claire to hear her rage about me denying her the right to drink wine -_

"I'll do it."

* * *

We spent the rest of the morning transporting my things into the Wesker home. Mr. Wesker was kind enough to drive us to the house Claire and I shared and he waited patiently as I packed, kissed Claire goodbye [who was very close to drunk as Mr. Wesker kept his promise to give her a glass of wine] and then I left with him once again to return to my new home.

When we returned, I met Mrs. Wesker's nurse, Rebecca Chambers. She was small and petite with short chestnut colored hair and bright green eyes. She was very nice, she even seemed quite familiar with Mr. Wesker, more so than normal. I assumed they probably worked together for a while.

Marlowe was due home from his Head Start program at 14:00 [2:00pm], once his brother Jake picked him up. Mr. Wesker brought it to my attention that sometimes Jake would grab them both a bite to eat before returning home so that would probably leave me with an extra hour before they arrived.

I spent the time waiting for Marlowe by moving my things into the room Wesker assigned me. It was a moderately sized and simple room but the view it provided was fantastic. The view came from the windows in the room. They were taller than me, in two different corners of the room. The good news was that I still had a spot to dress where I could be away from the window and possible peeping toms [because the curtains where quite transparent - sheer unfortunately].

I had a full-sized bed on a wooden bedframe of antique design. Decorated by red and white sheets and a quilted comforter, there was a pretty and beautiful butterfly of the same colors embroidered on the comforter. A circular and white fluffy carpet was on the floor, a dresser and chest aligned on the wall and beside the bed was a nightstand with a small lamp.

It was comfy in here. I really liked the room.

While walking around the room, I happened to peer through the windows. I could see the backyard had patio, some tables and what looked like a fountain beyond the different colors of leaves and leafless trees.

I made a mental note to go out there sometime once the weather was warm. At the moment the skies had begun to darken again, typical October weather. There was a rain coming, the skies and rustling - stirring leaves in the escalating breeze were evidence of that.

I heard footsteps behind me and I turned away from the window to see Mr. Wesker about to walk past my door, a folder full of papers within his hands. His gaze was firmly on them. He stopped in front of my doorway.

"Marlowe should be here soon," he began, his eyes never looked up to me.

"I… I'm ready for him," _I think…_

"Hm, do you like your room?"

I smiled. "Yes, it's lovely and has a beautiful view."

"Excellent, I made sure to give you a room that was on the first floor as you will find yourself here very often. You're responsible for making sure that this house is the image of perfection - each of these rooms is to be cleaned as frequently as possible. I will not tolerate uncleanliness in this home."

I began to fidget with my sleeves, the pressure was on…

"I tend to have guests spontaneously and quite often – that said, I'm sure you can understand why cleanliness is especially important to me?"

"Yes, Mr. Wesker." _Oh boy… this won't be easy at all._

"Moving on, I expect breakfast completed at 6:00 [6:00am] every day – no later."

"Yes sir."

"In the kitchen you will find a notepad beside the calendar that has directions to Marlowe's school, as well as some emergency numbers including my own, Mrs. Chambers, and Jake. Every morning, I will have a note written for you detailing what I would prefer you do during the present day, on top of the usual cleaning and I will expect them completed by the time I arrive home from work."

"As for Marlowe, he goes to Head Start on Mondays and Thursdays. His clothes should be laid out and ready for him when he wakes up at 6:00 to prevent the early morning circus he may cause. You are to have a lunch packed for him every morning before you take him to school at 10:00 [10:00am]."

"I'm assuming you have a driver's license and that it isn't littered with felonies?"

"Yes I do and of course not sir," I laughed, "I'm a law abiding citizen!" he didn't laugh, nor look at me, so I shut my mouth instantly.

"Good." he said.

"May I ask why, sir?"

"Just in case." he said plainly. "When you return here in the morning, you should begin an early morning cleaning regime. The front room has a closet beside the fireplace, full of cleaning supplies – you should use them to your advantage. Your regime should include making each of the beds, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting – the likes. When it comes to food preparations, you already know breakfast, as for lunch, it should be prepared by noon – unless it's a weekday that Marlowe or myself aren't here. In that case, you simply need to ask Mrs. Chambers about Stephanie's appetite and work according to that, or see what Jake would like as he is also of your concern."

_Oh boy, a 20 year old male with an endless amount of demands... please don't let him be a jerk..._

"Okay, I understand sir."

"As for dinner, there are cook books available for you to experiment with and feel free to be creative with breakfast and lunch using the books as well. For anything that you would like to prepare, you are free to. While the refrigerator is full of groceries, you may have to visit the market a little down the street to collect any little necessities. A wallet of funding will be provided for you with an amount of your choosing – say a good $260 a day?"

_260 bucks a day for groceries? Wow – I wonder what's my pay going to be?! _"Isn't that a bit much?"

"Not at all, 260 is the equivalent of close to 200 euros here. Besides, it's yours to use to provide food for my family. I will supply the wallet to you by tomorrow, as for today you'll have to work with what's available, understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Also… make sure you are always presentable." I blushed, feeling self-conscious, did he think I looked rough? "You're a _pretty_ thing, but when we have guests – I expect you to show your lady side. You can do that, yes?"

_Great, my boss thinks I look like a boy… _I sighed. "Understood, sir."

"Daddy!" the sudden sound of a young voice alerted us both. Marlowe's home!

"We'll discuss matters such as your pay another time." he turned to leave but stopped. "Before I forget, as this is your residence now as well, you are free to enjoy anything you please as long as you have finished with your duties by the time you decide to indulge yourself."

_Sounds delightful_. "Thank you, sir."

"Also, be sure to schedule some time with Marlowe each day to teach him and educate him. It's very vital that he excels. Very vital." with that he left out.

_Huh, déjà vu_. Almost like a flashback moment to my own childhood…

Immediately after his exit, I sprang into action - but not before making sure I looked presentable. I straightened up my hair in the window reflection as well as my clothes. I was wearing a light blue sweater that hung loosely over my shoulders but clung to my body lightly, my black tank top beneath concealed my bra straps much to my relief, and I wore black skinny jeans that stopped just above my ankle boots. Feeling comfortable, I took a deep breath and stepped out into the hallway, glad that my room wasn't too far from the front entrance.

"Marlowe, I hope you behaved yourself today." Mr. Wesker spoke.

"I did, daddy."

"Damn, would it kill you to say – Oh, I don't know, _hey kid, how was your day_?" another voice came, deeper, almost like Mr. Wesker but it had more youth to it.

I almost kicked myself; I totally forgot about the older brother. I wanted to make a good first impression with him too so things wouldn't be awkward. _Please, please let him be sensible and not the type to overwork me..._

I peeked around the stairway and stood there, quite nervous. I saw Marlowe's small figure standing beside a man wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and boots. Almost identical in fashion to Mr. Wesker, but the jeans were dark-blue in color at least. He was the same height as Mr. Wesker too, but the hair was different; auburn and styled in a buzz-cut.

"Jake, your comments are irrelevant." I now knew what 'Jake' looked like, well, at least his silhouette.

"Tch, typical."

I didn't know what to say, so I just walked towards them quietly, fidgeting with my sweater sleeves again. They were facing each other, Marlowe was innocently looking back and forth between them obviously confused. The tension was overwhelming from the two older Wesker's, I was almost afraid to speak to them.

Mr. Wesker noticed me first as Jake had his back to me. "Ah, Miss Birkin, just in time."

Marlowe turned instantly to me and my heart jumped when I saw his face brighten up like a ray of sunshine. He immediately raced to me and I crouched down just in time to give him a big hug.

"Sherry-Berry!"

"Mar-Mar!" I couldn't help but think about how much the song _At Last _really would've been perfect for a moment like this...

Marlowe laughed in my arms. "Why are you here?"

"Your dad invited me here!" I smiled giving him a big kiss on the forehead. "Are you happy to see me?" he nodded and I squished him against me once again. "I'm happy to see you too, Mar."

"So, who's the babe?" I felt my face heat up a little as I looked up from Marlowe and got a good look at Jake.

He was intimidating to look at, especially with the long scar going down the side of his face. He had sharp blue-grey eyes and great cheek bone structure. Despite the intense and dangerous aura that radiated off of him, I couldn't help but notice that there was a novel type of handsomeness to him.

_He looks…good. _I turned away then, I refused ogle at him – especially while he was looking right at me, but I was gushing inside because he called me a 'babe'. _Does he think I'm attractive…? Stop it Sherry... Stop it! You have to be a professional!_

"This is Marlowe's nanny and our new housekeeper, Sherry Birkin." Mr. Wesker answered, gesturing to me with the papers he still kept in his hand.

"Nanny _and_ the maid?" he smirked at me, looking me over. I stood up with Marlowe in my arms. "Well, looks like things just got _interesting_." he winked at me and I shivered a little.

_I don't know how to feel right now… _Flattered? Annoyed? _Maybe I should ignore it – he's probably just teasing me. So much for a sensible guy - great, he's going to try bullying me..._

"She will be living here, Jake." Mr. Wesker spoke firmly. "I expect you to treat her with respect and behave yourself - something you should do more often."

Jake frowned then, "Hmph," he looked away from me, towards his father. "I'm going to see mom," he said, and then his eyes darkened. "Something **you** should do more often." with that, he breezed past Marlowe and myself, and started up the staircase.

"Bye Jake!" Marlowe called.

"See ya later, little guy."

We watched him disappear into the hallway upstairs and everything was quiet around us, but only for a moment.

_Someone's got daddy troubles… _I glanced back at Mr. Wesker, he was back into the staring contest again with his papers. _Déjà vu…_

"… I … I didn't even get to introduce myself properly." I joked trying to ease tension that suddenly surfaced. I was curious as to what both men had meant by _something you should do more often _but I figured it was a bad time and I was the newbie anyway, I had no right to start asking questions so soon.

"Never mind him," Mr. Wesker said. "I expect dinner prepared by 18:00 [6:00pm], no later Miss Birkin." Like his son, he too walked away – to his study no doubt.

_Anything in particular, Mr. Wesker? Jeez, a little eye contact never hurt either. _I frowned to myself and released a breath I didn't know I was holding. _Guess I'll have to be creative… no big deal right?_

Marlowe and I stood there in silence for moments until we could hear rain begin to fall outside. My arm started to cramp and I shifted him in my arms. He wasn't heavy but he certainly wasn't a lightweight.

"Nanny Bear," I blinked at him and smiled. "Can I call you Nanny Bear?"

"Sure," I kissed him on the cheek. "Can I call you Ma-Ma?"

"I like Mar." he pouted.

"What's wrong with Ma-Ma?"

"I'm not a momma and I'm not a girl!"

I laughed and let him down to the wooden floors. _So cute… _"Okay, Mar. You want to help me in the kitchen? We can make dinner and then I'll make us some tasty treats!"

"I like peanut butter cookies. Can we make those?" he beamed at me as I helped him out of his coat. It wasn't the same one as on the plane. It was an actual autumn coat.

_Perhaps Jake dressed him? The poor child looked to almost suffocate because of Mr. Wesker._

"Sure…I'll have to look up a recipe on my phone and make them from scratch using the materials provided…" I was talking more to myself than him.

"Okay," he grinned then yawned cutely. "…Sleepy…"

I ruffled his short blonde hair and took his small hand in mine. "Okay, but first, I need a favor… I need your help finding the kitchen." I blushed, a little embarrassed that I'd forgot to ask Mr. Wesker for a tour of the house. "After that, I promise I'll tuck you in for a little nap, alright?"

"Sleepy…" he stretched his arms up at me. I wondered for a moment if maybe he was too old to like being carried so much but the thought was gone as quick as it came.

I scooped him up, his coat thrown over one of my arms. "I know, but I need your help, please?"

"Okay." he mumbled sleepily.

He directed me up the spiral stairs and through the halls upstairs. There were many rooms. Passing by one room, I heard a voice that sounded a lot like Jake's and another that was softer, weaker. Most likely it was his mother, Stephanie. I hadn't had a chance to meet her. I fancied after I put Marlowe to sleep and started some sort of dinner, I would try and squeeze some time in to speak with her. I felt it was common courtesy to meet everyone in the manor.

"Right here." he mumbled finally, three doors away from where I heard Jake and Mrs. Wesker.

Opening the door, I walked inside and let him down onto his feet. His room was about the same size as mine but colored in shades of blue while mine was white. Decorated in boyish charm, the only thing it was missing was a race car bed. He had toys strewn all over, race cars, action figures and I even made out a couple unfinished building blocks.

_Obviously he plays a lot._

I helped him change from his jeans and shirt and into some adorable footie pajamas with monkeys on it that he tried to fight with me over. I would never understand the problem kids have with footie pj's. They were a favorite of mine – I even had a pair – more like three pairs…

"I look like a bear." he fussed.

I pinched his cheek, "I have a pair I could wear too. Want me to wear mine so you won't be the only one like a bear?"

He nodded with puffed cheeks, then added : "You are a bear, Nanny Bear." he said simply and climbed into his bed. "Sleepy..."

I helped him get tucked in and kissed his forehead. I could vaguely remember some of the lessons on kids that Claire made me go over while we got settled in. She mentioned how it was normal for kids around his age to be tired after being out and about. I figured I'd let him rest and once he woke up, I'd work with what I could – following his lead.

It wasn't until a good three minutes later that I remembered I needed help finding the kitchen… and I'd just put my tour guide to sleep.

I smacked my forehead and groaned quietly. _Guess I'll have to find it myself…_

I exited the room as quietly as I could, leaving a crack in it in case he woke up and came looking for me. I wondered out into the halls, further down towards a large window and it was a dead end. The window gave a decent view of the front yard surprisingly. As I looked out, I noticed someone who looked a lot like Mr. Wesker out there, loading briefcases into his truck before getting in the driver's seat and backing out of the driveway moments later. I couldn't see very well with the rain coming down outside but I was almost sure…

_What the…?_

I turned around and raced to the end of the hall, down the spiral stairs and to the front door where I could better see the face behind the wheel of the truck. It _was_ Mr. Wesker – where was he off to? I stood there long after he'd left, confused.

_He could've at least shown me where the kitchen was before he left!_

I felt so alone suddenly. The house was quiet and dark, the rain outside was light but loud. I stood there by the door, leaning against one of the sofas nearby, debating my next choice of action. Did I dare to wonder off into this house and get lost? Can a girl really get lost in a house? A mansion maybe…

"Guess I better give it a shot…" I said aloud and walked a straight path, passed the stairs, and then passed my bedroom.

I noticed a very large bathroom was right beside my room. It looked like a sauna was in there too. I had to stop myself from going inside – what is it about bathrooms that gave it a magnetic pull? Fighting the pull, I walked a bit farther and found a set of double doors with thin wood and glass windows. Peeking in, I could see inside was maybe a game lounge, the room was made up entirely of wooden structures, three large televisions hung from different corners of the room and there were multiple trophies, pictures of football and basketball related knickknacks. There was a pool table, couches and tables with tall chairs for seating.

_I might have to check this room out too. _I felt giddy but moved along.

I turned around and found my target – the kitchen. It was an open area with an island and like most of the house, wood finishes but it was accompanied by granite counter tops. There was a large black French door refrigerator against the wall, beside it a long granite counter of light color.

Along the opposite wall was a built-in microwave and below that an oven. They even had an old fashioned bread maker! I could also see the calendar and emergency numbers, just like Mr. Wesker had said.

_I better not blow up this kitchen… _The house was way too gorgeous. I'd better be very careful.

The kitchen was directly connected with the living room; I assumed now that this was the living room, the front room must have been a sitting room. Now that I thought about it, there wasn't a television out there... On the other side of the island, there were more couches, coffee tables and another large television sitting high in the corner. There was a large circular glass table nearby with five chairs. It seemed the dining room, kitchen and living room were combined – in a tasteful way I might add.

There was a set of tall glass windows and doors in the back area where I could see the rain pouring down in the backyard patio vicinity. I walked over and saw a string attached to the very tall grommet-like curtains that were drawn back. After making sure the door was locked [it was a sliding door], I pulled the string, closing off the back of the house with the curtains. The sun was no longer out so they needn't be open anymore.

I walked back to the kitchen area and observed everything about the room. From the endless amounts of cabinets, to the countless knife blocks, and even the spot where the hairnets and aprons were neatly folded.

I decided on something simple after looking through the refrigerator a good few times. I decided to make a stew that I made often with Claire whenever Leon was coming by. He loved it – I hoped they would too.

After putting a hairnet on, tying on an apron, and washing my hands, I started pulling out some veggies, pots and pans.

_Here goes… everything!_

As I started cutting up some celery, I heard the sound of a door open and shut nearby. Peeking around the corner, I noticed it was none other than Jake entering the lounge – or the den as Mr. Wesker would put it. I was tempted to ask him if he knew where his father had headed but decided against it. They didn't seem to get along well.

I knew that feeling pretty well.

I walked back into the kitchen but not before noticing Jake had flicked on one of the big screens in the room. The very first _Fast and the Furious _movie – my favorite movie ever – came onto the screen in amazing HD.

_Now I really wanna go in there_… But it would have to wait. My mind wondered to Mrs. Wesker upstairs in her room. As I dropped some vegetables into a pot, I made a mental note to pay her a visit and introduce myself.

_Hopefully she's the sensible one..._

* * *

A/N: EDITED/UPDATED (09/15/2013)

Corrected typos and spelling errors. :)

-Vio


	3. Like Flowers

Chapter 3:

Like Flowers

* * *

I let out a long held in breath, _Finally, it's done... _I leaned against the kitchen's island and dropped my head. I finally finished the stew and I was beyond relieved.

It was hot in the kitchen, much hotter than the other rooms and I was sure Jake had something to do with it. I'd heard him leave the lounge a few times and each time he did I busied myself with something else so he wouldn't bother me.

It's not like I had issues with him, I just wasn't sure how to go about anything. He didn't seem very friendly or talkative. At one point he did peek around the corner at me. I bit my lip and pretended to be looking through a cook book. I saw him raise a brow and he mumbled something, and then walked away.

When he returned he had a sweater on. Shortly after that, he left out again and came back with just a white t-shirt. And shortly after that - I was sweaty and overheated.

_He probably mumbled about it being cold - duh Sherry... _I sighed to myself. _I'll pay more attention next time, instead of being so awkward._

Turning the stove fire down to a very, very low temperature, I stopped stirring the stew and placed the lid on the pot. It was finished but I wanted to keep it warm until serving time. I glanced at the clock nearby, 16:56 [4:56pm]. _I'm really early with dinner. _I fanned myself and sighed. _I should really go freshen up before Marlowe wakes up. Maybe after I'm cleaned up and get Marlowe, I could start making him those cookies._

I smiled and checked the stove fire once more. I removed my hair net and apron and then walked towards my room, just down the hall. On the way there, I noticed Jake was missing from the lounge, odd - I could've sworn he went in there. I shrugged it off and continued on my way.

After freshening up, I returned to the kitchen once again for another check. All was well, and the clock now read 17:31 [5:31pm]. I did spend quite some time in the bathroom. I couldn't help it. It was amazing.

It was a big room with ceramic tiled floors of light brown - square in pattern. The walls were mostly of brick, except for one area that was drywall and reminded me of desert sand. There was a small box shaped fireplace in this part of the wall - unlit at the time. The whole room had an earthly feel to it, relaxing too.

The sink was the first thing to be seen when one entered, a marble counter, large round mirror with three lights along the top to provide lighting in that section. In the center of the room was a sauna chair with soft cushioning, it was directly across from the fireplace - but not too close for safety reasons I'd imagine. A large marble bathtub was against the far wall in there, kitty-cornered. There was also a set of glass doors with shower heads were on the inside [the shower for sure] with embroidered shower curtains for privacy [the shower was before the tub, however it was against the wall opposite to the sink].

Directly opposite to the tub was the small sauna room made entirely of wood. If one wanted to jump to and fro from the bath to the sauna it would be very simple. As for the toilet, it had its own separate area with a sliding door for entry and exit - this was located through a little passageway between the tub and shower but before the toilet, there were hooks along the walls in the passage that held thin robes for the sauna room.

I was ready to pamper myself in there but I remember Mr. Wesker's demands and chose to put it off for another time.

I made my way up the spiral stairs and traveled quietly down the hallway. I peeked into Marlowe's room and noticed he was still hard asleep. Sighing, I turned to leave only to hear him groan. I opened the door all the way when he sat up and yawned. After stretching his little arms and little, he blinked at me through the dark and his eyes widened.

"Ghost!"

"...What?" before he could start screaming, I ran over and put my hand over his mouth, 'shh'ing him and trying to calm him. "Mar, it's me! Sherry! Your _Nanny Bear_!"

It took him a minute. I waited patiently and let out a sigh of relief when he hugged me.

"I thought I was dreaming..."

"Hm?" I asked, sitting on the bed beside him, ruffling his hair. "About ghosts?" I giggled a little.

"No..." his face was unreadable, I was amazed a child could look like that. "I thought I dreamed you were my nanny..." I smiled sweetly and then I reached for him and pulled him against me. "I thought I was gonna wake up and you were gone."

"I'm right here, Mar. Don't worry alright?" I gave him a squeeze and he responded to me with a smile. I released him and stood up going for the light switch. "One moment, let me turn some lights on up here - it's way too dark."

The light in his room flickered on and we both flinched adjusting our eyes to it. I stood there and waited for him to climb out of bed. He walked up to me and looked me over, very strangely.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"_You're_ not wearing _your_ footies but _I_ have to?" he stomped his foot. "That's not fair!" he put much emphasis in his statement.

I giggled at him and leaned down to his level. "You really want me to, or would you rather I feed you first - and then go put on my pajamas?"

"If I gotta look like a bear, so do you." he was firm with his words - reminded me of Mr. Wesker there. A cute, chubby looking Mr. Wesker.

_In cute fuzzy footie pajamas._

"So, I have to change first?"

"Yep."

I sighed. "Alright, come on," I took his tiny hand in my own and we exited the room, turning the light off as we did. "I'll go get changed and then we'll both settle down for dinner. Sound okay with you?"

We started down the stairs and I had to carry him down them. He whispered into my ear about how he wanted peanut butter cookies still. I laughed and promised him that I'd make them while he ate so he could watch. He was overjoyed as I let him down once we reached my bedroom.

"Huh, I just noticed something." I spoke aloud to him as he peeked out one of my windows. "My room is directly beneath yours." he wasn't listening, he was too busy dancing around in the reflection, which made me laugh. "So I can hear you moving around upstairs I guess."

"You promised you'd put on your footies-"

"I can't change with you in here." I teased. "I'm a girl and you're a boy, remember?"

He turned around and his face turned red as a tomato. I couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter. I surely didn't expect him to come hit me on my thighs though.

"Don't laugh at me!" he hit me again.

I recognized 'problem behavior' [as Claire had told me] instantly. "No Mar, hitting isn't nice." I told him and placed my hands on my hips to show my seriousness. "Hitting hurts people, you understand? Your daddy or big brother never told you it isn't nice to hit girls?"

"Jake did," he answered. He looked up at me with his big blue eyes shining. "He says girls are like flowers so they need water and sunlight ... and something..." he hugged my legs tightly together and I almost fell had I not gripped the door beside me, it started to swing from my weight.

_Jake... says things that sweet? Awww, that's adorable! _I had quite a hard time imagining Jake saying something bordering so closely on romantic. It just seemed so... unlikely.

"Hugs are like sunlight," Marlowe started to sing cutely. "... and nice things are like water for girls." he backed away and blushed looking to his feet. "You're really pretty Nanny Bear."

_Sunlight is warm and embracing, like a warm hug and what girl doesn't love to be showered with compliments? Just like flowers love being watered and rained on - it makes us happy and feel good. _I blushed a bit. _Jake really put thought into that. _

I looked down at Marlowe's cheery face. _How nice of him to share something so sweet with Mar like that._

Marlowe made a face at me, waiting for my response, which made me grin and giggle again, I crouched down to look him in the face. "Thank you for the compliment - I guess that's your way of apologizing too?"

He nodded and started to fiddle with the zipper to his footies. "This... tickles." I helped him loosen it and he relaxed. "I won't hit you no more Nanny Bear, I promise."

I smiled warmly to him and kissed his forehead, a thought came to my mind. "Can you remember what your brother says is the other thing girls need?"

He pouted and folded his arms across his chest. "No..." he whined and I felt bad. He seemed to get frustrated very easily.

"It's okay, I forget things too. Like I forgot to get into my footies - but your memory is very good because you reminded me of that."

He grinned. "I did, didn't I?!" we laughed for a moment, then he scrunched up his face. "It started with a 'F'..."

I blinked, thinking... _It's not flowers, fun maybe - no it's gotta be related to flowers... _

"It sounded like '_fart_'." He laughed and poked my nose.

I scrunched up my face. _Fart? Wow, I forgot how silly kids were. Argh, so, let's see flowers need sunlight, water and ... fertilizer? _"Is it fertilizer?"

He beamed. "That's the one!"

"Yay! We figured it out!"

"Yep!" he raised his chin proudly.

"So, wanna tell me what the fertilizer for girls is?"

In an instant, he got close to my face and I was stunned for a moment when he kissed my cheek. I blushed and he grinned again, running to the other side of my room - to the other window. "Um... thanks sweetheart but... why?"

"Cuz kisses are like _fart_ilizer!" he snorted and started dancing again.

_Fertilizer gives flowers the nutrients to grow - it's a little extra bit to make us gush. People lay fertilizer down for flowers, just like kisses are laid upon one's cheek... a symbol of love and adoration - so in other words... _I smiled. "Kisses give girls the love we need to grow."

"Yep."

"I guess a combination of all three is what makes us blossom, right?"

"I guess..." he shrugged.

I was never kissed by my parents, nor did I get hugs from them - compliments were out of the question. I grew into a flower because of the hugs, kisses and praise I received from Claire and Leon. Before they were around, I was not a seed - no I had raised myself up from the root somehow. But as time went on, I'd became a wilting flower bud stuck in a shady plain, slowly wasting away and I felt worthless.

Jake was right, I_ was_ like a flower: I needed water, sunlight and fertilizer to grow. I smiled, feeling unstoppable suddenly. I wanted to thank Jake - but that would seem weird, so I would keep it to myself for the time being. One day I would tell him my gratitude, but I would do it when I was ready and the time was right.

_In the meantime, I have a little bugger to get after..._

Marlowe had begun to run around my room dancing and doing all kinds of stunts. I grabbed him into my arms and picked him up.

"Okay, I'm gonna change into my bear suit too, meanwhile, do you think you could sit patiently outside the door? I mean, no wondering off okay?"

He nodded with his eyes firmly on me. "I promise." I sat him down and he went into the hall outside. He stood against the wall with his chin held high.

I closed the door just enough so there was a small crack for me to listen out for him. I started to undress, Jake's words to Marlowe were still in my head. As I slipped on my pair of footie pajamas, I smiled to myself. I actually felt like I could maybe talk to Jake. Just maybe.

Right when I finished, Marlowe peeked inside. "You look like a bear too!" he cheered. I laughed, I was sure I did. My footies were light blue with pink hearts everywhere on it - even the zipper was pink and the hook was a heart.

"Come on Mar, let's go eat." I glanced at my bedroom clock, 18:00 [6:00pm] exactly. He nodded and we both headed to the kitchen.

* * *

I was relieved that Marlowe enjoyed the stew. He fussed a bit because of the veggies but I promised him if he ate it I would give him an extra cookie before bedtime. He took taste of the stew and couldn't get enough, he even asked if he could have some of mine. He wiggled around in his specially made high chair and ate very well - veggies and all.

I finished before he did and while he ate, I had succeeded in making his cookies from scratch in nearly no time - thanks to the lovely cook books provided by Mr. Wesker. I'd just finished putting the peanut butter cookies into the oven when I heard the lounge door open and in popped Jake. He had a towel around his neck as sweat made his white t-shirt cling to his toned and muscular chest.

I blushed, speechless.

He gave me a quick look over and I suddenly felt self-conscious. I was wearing footie pajamas - and he's seen me. Now I knew how Marlowe felt exactly.

I looked him over too, but only briefly because he raised a brow to me and I nearly fainted. _Wow he looks... really good. _I blushed and ran to the sink, ripping off the hairnet and apron, from my hair and body. _Keep calm Sherry... Keep calm._

"Hi Jake," after a few moments, I finally turned around greeted him with a smile. "I wanted to tell you about dinner but I couldn't find you - are you hungry?" I was doing really well keeping myself under control.

"I was in the basement." he said with a shrug, he breezed past me to the pot of stew and I smelled his spicy cologne.

_I'm gonna melt. Pull it together girl - calm the freak down!_

"Hi Jake!" Marlowe called from his high chair in the dining area.

"Hey little guy, you alright?"

Marlowe nodded aggressively - looking adorable as ever. "Yep, waiting on my cookies!"

"Is that right?"

"Yep!"

Jake laughed a bit and I liked the sound of it. "This smells good - what is it?" He asked me, his voice was quieter as he spoke to me.

I turned back to the sink and began to run cold water, pretending to be washing my hands. _Anything to cool down - but he's so - _"It's a stew." I answered. "I made it from beef, some carrots, and other veggies." I sighed relieved I was calming finally.

"Heh, hand me a bowl, would ya?" he gestured to me, he back was to me as he removed the lid off the top. "I'm starving and this smells damn good."

I opened the cabinet above my head and reached for a bowl. I saw a large one right in front and pulled it out, rinsed it under the sink water and gave it to him.

"There's a spoon right next to the fridge that you could use to fill your bowl." I said meekly, still hovering by the sink.

"I see it," he sat the bowl down and I looked at him - he was looking at me! With his brow raised... "Your hands are gonna be numb if you keep running them under that cold water like that ya know."

I turned the faucet off quickly. "O-Oh I know I just - I forgot - I kind of burned my hand when I..." I took a deep breath. "Touched i-inside of the oven - when I was putting the cookies in." _Phew, nice cover Sherry Birkin!_

He still stared at me. "Really? Let me see your hand."

_Oh God Jake, back off would you?!_

"It's fine, really! It's not badly burned or anything but I flinched - that's for sure." I sent him a fake smile. He held out his hand and I shook my head to decline him more forcefully than I wanted. "Please, don't worry about me - you go on and eat." I couldn't help my blush - at least he cared.

He shrugged. "Fine," I watched him through the corner of my eye as he filled his bowl and turned to leave for the lounge.

"Wait!" I called and he stopped to look at me over his shoulder. _Wasn't he going to eat at the table? _"Where are you going? The table's over there." I pointed to where Marlowe sat, looking just as confused as I was.

"I don't sit at the table, Nanny Lady." he said. "Way too busy to be sitting down right now."

"Busy with what?" I pushed.

"Stuff." he said simply and turned around to go for the doors.

"Jake, wait." I breathed, looking back at Marlowe. He looked... sad. "That's way too hot for you to carry around, please - just sit with your brother and eat..."

He frowned at me then but when I stiffened he sighed and shook his head at me. "I'm... busy, okay? I'll sit with him another day...jeez." with that, he left.

I walked over to Marlowe with a sigh. He looked completely broken. I sat down beside him on one of the table chairs. I smiled at him and all he did was fiddle with his spoon and empty bowl.

"Mar..." I said softly. "Are you alright Mar?" he shook his head. "I'm sorry sweetie, I guess you were really looking forward to your brother's company huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah..."

"Aww, well, there's always next time, right?"

"...Do they hate me...?"

My stomach twisted into a knot. "What? Who?"

"My daddy, Jake... everyone...?"

"No, that's not true." I said stiffly. He was always so cheerful - seeing him like this hurt - bad_. _"They don't hate you - it's just... it's not easy being an adult, Mar." I rubbed his sticky hands [from the stew] in my own. "We get a lot of extra things on our plate and sometimes we put our priorities in the wrong area."

"I don't think they love me." I felt speechless... "My _real_ mommy loved me-"

_Real... mommy?_

"- but she gave me to daddy."

"Wait, Mar, what do you mean - your real mommy? Mrs. Wesker isn't your mother?"

He shook his head. "I tried to call her mommy, but Jake told me not to. He said I couldn't to talk to her because she's too sick." He pouted, "- and then he said that my dad was a _jerk_..." a tear ran down his cheek and I wiped it away with my thumb. "But - I liked her. She was nice. But my mommy was nice too... but I can't see my mommy and I can't see _her_ either..."

I felt overcome with emotions, everything was flowing together - anger, misery, confusion - I had so many questions now. With Mar's words I was almost sure that he had to have been adopted.

_If he's adopted - could that be why they won't get too close to him? I've heard of families where the adopted child is neglected - but he doesn't really seem neglected, just lonely. _

_But why would he be lonely? It seems like Jake spends time with him - especially with how fondly he speaks of the guy. But then again, Mr. Wesker did mention Jake's private life wasn't appropriate or something. Maybe that's why Mr. Wesker hired me..._

_But what's going on with Jake? He goes from fussing at his father for not praising Marlowe but then turns around and he doesn't want to sit with the kid, but he also talks to him, apparently enough to make Mar very, very fond of him. Maybe he really is just too busy at the moment - which is where I come in I suppose, to give Mar company when Jake is unable._

_But, why be cruel enough to tell an adopted child not to call their adoptive mother, "Mommy"? And why can't he see her?_

_Perhaps Jake is trying to spare Mar the pain of loving her in the event that she passes away? That's understandable but just how sick is Mrs. Wesker? Wait a moment, Jake said Mr. Wesker doesn't visit her often - hmm, maybe it does have to do with her being ill - but Jake sees her so... what's going on?_

_More importantly, why would Mr. Wesker adopt a child when his wife is ill anyway? Unless she wasn't sick when Marlowe first arrived..._

I sighed and gave Marlowe's hand a squeeze. "I'm sure your mommy loves you very much. She may come back pretty soon to see you. She's probably just trying to make some changes so that she can see you again." I imagined her being a single mother struggling to get by or something - since he didn't mention his real father. "As for Mrs. Wesker, I'm sure she misses you too, but you have you understand, when people get sick, you can get sick too. Maybe that's why you can't see her..."

"But Jake does!" he fussed. "Why can't I?"

"Jake's a big boy. He's just trying to look out for his mother - and for you." he looked at me then. "Do you think he wants you and Mrs. Wesker sick at the same time? That would probably make him very sad..."

"Why can't I call her mommy?"

I sighed again and squeezed his hand once more. "Maybe because Jake's just jealous that he has to share his mommy now and knows you're so cute you'll steal her from him."

He laughed then and I felt much better. "You think that's why?"

"Could be," I kissed his cheek. "So, I think the cookies are done." I heard the oven beep, confirming it. "Why don't we eat our cookies and then we'll go upstairs and play for a while before bedtime? What do you say?"

"Yay!" he cheered, wiggling around in that high chair again.

I grinned at him. "Okay, let me get the cookies and some milk and we'll be fine!"

I stood up from the chair and walked to the kitchen. Grabbing some mitts, I removed the cookies from the oven and glanced around the area. It was in need of tidying up - that was for sure. I needed to make sure I cleaned it before Mr. Wesker arrived for his dinner [if he even showed up - it was 19:14 (7:14pm) at the time]. I didn't want to see him angry.

While I got some more bowls and grabbed a couple plastic cups to fill with milk, I kept running questions through my head. Like Jake and Wesker commenting on what the other should do more often, my whole being hired into the home, and many more. Mrs. Wesker was top on my mind.

I still hadn't gotten to meet her. After I'd finished eating and before starting the cookies, I was going to take a bowl of the stew up to her but Mrs. Chambers met me at the steps and insisted that she bring the bowl to her. I allowed her to because she was her caretaker.

But now things were really starting to bother me. Was it possible that not just Marlowe was being kept away from Mrs. Wesker? Maybe _I_ was being kept away too - I mean, Mr. Wesker didn't take me to meet her but he did introduce me to Mrs. Chambers and Jake. Maybe it did have to do with her illness.

Or... maybe I should wait and see. If kept my cool and just did my job around here then maybe the answers would come to me. I would be patient and await my chance, even if what I learn may not be pleasant.

No matter what happened, I swore to myself I would protect Marlowe. I would give my all for the child. Even if it meant digging deeper into the lives of everyone in the Wesker House to protect him - I would do it.

_My first day and I'm suddenly a detective... Wow._

* * *

My first week on the job went by pretty well. My second week, the fatigue was definitely starting to set in. This job was a hell of a lot harder than I imagined.

I cleaned, cooked - every day. I spent most of my time looking after Marlowe, teaching him French [as per Mr. Wesker's request], taking and picking him up from school, chasing down Jake because Mr. Wesker demanded he rake the leaves out of the front yard or do something else that wasn't in my domain, and then I would collapse the few minutes that would have to myself - onto my bed for a catnap.

Some habits never die hard.

Jake wasn't around much, like Mr. Wesker said he wouldn't be. Marlowe was becoming an even happier bunny, which was pleasing but stressful. Mr. Wesker was also barely home and I still had yet to meet Mrs. Wesker but I would, because I told myself that the next free moment that I had - when Mrs. Chambers wasn't at the manor, I would go to see Mrs. Wesker.

I was going to finally meet Stephanie Muller-Wesker.

* * *

The second week, on Thursday, after the circus event that is called getting Marlowe ready for Head Start was over, I made my way back to the house. I was exhausted. Marlowe had been excited all about Halloween coming up in the coming weeks and was ecstatic about going costume shopping.

I was responsible for this – I mentioned Treat or Treating and he'd been geeked since. What's more - he wanted me to dress up too. I told him I would help him out before Halloween, I promised. I was starting to regret it though - I needed a break. Badly...

_Oh well, can't be helped. Besides, I'm sure it will please him greatly._

I walked into the house and shut the door behind me, locking it with the keys Mr. Wesker had given me the day after my first day. I called out that I was home and got no response. I was expecting to hear something from Mrs. Chambers but the house was silent.

Mr. Wesker worked at unexpected times, Jake had been in and out of the house but last time he was home was yesterday afternoon. He hadn't come back since and I wasn't really worried because he did leave a note for Marlowe that he would be home by around 15:00 [3:00pm] today so I assumed he was out taking care of something.

Now, the oddest thing about this was Mrs. Chamber's absence. She was usually here from dawn to sunset so for her to be missing was odd.

I walked to the kitchen and found the emergency numbers. Picking up the house phone, I dialed her number and waited patiently for her to answer.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Chambers? It's the nanny, Sherry." I started, leaning against the kitchen sink.

"Oh, Miss Sherry - I am so sorry, I've... got a flat tire," she sighed. "Make that three flats..."

"_Three_ flats?!" I asked incredulously. "How'd that happen?"

She groaned. "My husband and I went out for dinner last night and we ran over a pile of glass somehow - I tell you it's atrocious going out after 22:00 [10:00pm] any evening, the drunks start partying." she laughed. "I already told Albert but I'm sorry I forgot to give you a call."

"That's okay," I said. "I wasn't aware you had my number."

"Albert gave it to me, you know how organized he can be."

I laughed. "Yes, definitely. It's alright, I probably wouldn't have gotten your call anyway. I was so busy helping Mar last night and this morning that I never got to charge my cell and I wasn't here to answer the house phone."

"That will happen sometimes." she giggled. "You'll be okay there right? Stephanie's already aware I won't be coming until later and she's most likely going to sleep most of the day, or watch television - either way I wouldn't worry for her too much or bug her, she's probably not up for company today..."

"She doesn't need any medicine or anything?"

"All she may need is some lunch but she should be fine until Jake's home. Albert informed me that Jake has already taken her some food earlier today."

_...Huh? _"He did? When exactly?"

"Not sure but Albert says he did so if you didn't see him it must've been while you were out."

_But...Jake's been gone since yesterday. He hasn't come home... unless he did while I was taking Mar to school. But that's weird, why write a note that you'll be gone overnight until the afternoon of today if you were going to come home and leave again?_

_Then again - this is Jake. He is in and out of the house all the time - and besides, the note was for Mar, not me._

"Okay Miss Sherry, I've got to go now - my tow truck is here. Yes, the flats are that bad." she giggled again.

"Well, alright." I said slowly, thinking a bit too much. "I'll give you a call if anything happens."

"Great, see you later!"

"Bye..."

As soon as I got off the phone with Mrs. Chambers, I stood there in the kitchen, conflicted.

_Here it is Sherry, your big moment. This is your chance to go talk Mrs. Wesker. Maybe you can get some answers to your many questions. _

I took a deep breath and exited the kitchen, came down the hallway and slowly climbed the spiral stairs. I could feel my heart thumping violently in my chest, I was excited but nervous. What if she really is too sick for company? If she was then why didn't Mrs. Chambers tell me that? Why did Jake tell Marlowe to steer clear of her?

_It's time to get answers._

I raised my hand and knocked quietly on Mrs. Wesker's bedroom door.

I heard nothing for a moment so I knocked again, this time a bit louder but not too much.

Still quiet. I assumed she must have really been asleep and I turned to walk away.

"Come in..." a quiet but melodic voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

* * *

I peeked into the room slowly and was first met with the light from the window behind the bed right in front of me. I entered slowly, squinting my eyes from the morning sun rays and stepped into the room.

There was a silhouette sitting up on the bed, their back was against the headboard and a pillow. This person seemed to be shadowed by the suns beams. I could make out long auburn hair but besides that I could only see the sheets around their body and a matching dress.

I blinked my eyes and rubbed them a bit. Then the same voice from earlier sang to me. "May I help you?"

I looked up once more, my vision clearer now and saw the most angelic woman I've ever laid my eyes on. Her skin was pale, her narrowed eyes were the richest shade of hazel and she had long lashes, full lips, a well sculpted nose and her cheeks were high and pretty. She looked like a heavenly being.

I felt like a lowly peasant in the presence of a goddess. "U-Um, hi..." I cleared my throat. "I'm Sherry Birkin... the nanny."

She stared but said nothing, I continued with a shy smile. "I apologize, I've never been given a chance to introduce myself to you - but I've always wanted to. I've been working here for two week now and I cook and clean and - " I gasped. "N-Not like it's a problem! I-I love it here - I just - "

"Jake's told me about you, Miss Birkin." I paused and blushed. "So has Rebecca."

"Oh... um..."

"No need to be nervous." she said softly. "I'm happy to know that little Marlowe has a caretaker."

I blinked. "I work for all of you, ma'am." she cocked her head to the side at me, I assume out of curiosity. "Yes, I am Mar's nanny but I'm also the housekeeper. I cook, clean and try to assist wherever I can - because I was hired to do that... and I don't mind."

She smiled at me, looking even more ethereal. _She... doesn't look sick at all... _"Well, thank you - for the introduction and for helping my family. I apologize that I am unable to assist you as I am ill - but it seems you're doing fine."

I smiled gleefully. "Thank you, that means a lot." I stepped closer. "But, I'd like to get to know the head lady of the manor - Mrs. Wesker!" I was being awkward but I felt good because she smiled at me again, and even giggled a bit.

"You're quite charming, Miss Birkin."

I tied my hands behind my back and blushed once more. "Thanks, I'm really trying to do my best."

"From what I hear, you're doing fine." she said.

"Who says, ma'am?"

"Jake does," I blushed even redder. "He tells me about how well you treat Marlowe and how he likes your cooking. I have to say, I enjoy your food as well, Miss. You're a fine housekeeper."

"Wow," I was a bit breathless. "Thanks! That means a lot to me!"

"You're doing so fine that everyone's pleased with you. I also assume that's why my husband hasn't come to see me..."

My heart stopped. _What did she say? _"W-What?"

She looked away and began to fiddle with the sheets. "Then again, you're also quite pretty - I guess you're just his type, right?" she whispered sadly.

"Wait-" _Is she accusing me of being Mr. Wesker's mistress?! I think I'm going to be sick... _Images of my old nanny being fired by my mom flooded my mind.

"And you show yourself to me... trying to sweet maybe? You don't have to be..."

"Mrs. Wesker - "

"He probably didn't want me to know about you. It's just like when he brought Marlowe here... He didn't even ask me if I wanted another child. I try my hardest for this family and the only one who repays me is my son."

"Please... - "

"Look at me, wasting away in this room!" she spoke more hysterically now and I was worried that with whatever illness she had, maybe she would have some sort of problem. "While **you** frolic around my house - It's like _I'm_ dying or **dead** already... I feel..."

_Worthless... _I stared at her, my mouth open wide. _Déjà vu..._

"Mrs. Wesker - "

"Get out."

"Wait - "

"Get out!"

I felt my heart sink into my stomach. She was assuming I was Mr. Wesker's fling on the side for some reason. That was so wrong. It was beyond wrong! Our relationship was purely professional. I took care of the house and Marlowe. Mr. Wesker always came home but never greeted me, just retired to his room and the only time I did hear from him was when he came for dinner - but even then, he took his food and left for his study.

My relationship was no different than his relationship with anyone else's in the manor - so why did she think this way? _Because I'm the newbie I guess…_

"I asked you to leave." she said firmly. "Now, go."

**Jake says girls are like flowers... **I suddenly heard Marlowe's words in my head. I looked around her room and noticed vases of wilting flowers in them, I was certain they were brought to her Jake. To show her some appreciation and love.

**...they need water, sunlight...**

_Water... She needs water_. I took a deep breath. "There's no way... that I could possibly replace an angelic lady like you, Mrs. Wesker..."

"...What?"

"I wish I were as lovely as you are." _It's true, I do. I wish I had a glow like yours._

She was quiet, just staring at me, mouth slightly agape. I smiled. "Your glow is so bright that you've left an everlasting print on the men in this house - an imprint I can see even though I only communicate with just one - and he's barely a man - more like a teddy bear."

"What are you talking about?"

"Mrs. Wesker," I stepped closer and sat at the foot of her bed. "Please don't push me away. I'm not here to be your competition - I swear that to you, ma'am."

She listened to me, quietly with her lovely face full of emotion. "I took this job because a little boy latched onto me on a plane as I headed here for a new life and new opportunities. Through him - I found them. I found this job and your family, and I'm happy to even have this opportunity."

"You're lying to cover yourself." she spat.

"I assure you, I'm much too grateful for this job to even have the idea of something so immoral. I could never be with a married man – heck, I have terrible luck with men period." I giggled a little and watched her observe me.

"Why should I believe you?"

I remained calm. "When I was growing up, I had a nanny too. She was a lot older than me - heck even my parents. But my mother had her fired because she suspected her of trying to have an affair with my father."

"Was she?"

"No, but because she was fired - I lived my entire childhood lonely. I didn't have my parents attention, they barely spoke to me. They never praised me - just left me sheltered and alone - surrounded by darkness. Because of a false accusation, my nanny lost her job and I lost my only friend."

She blinked at me. "I'm... sorry to hear that," she frowned a bit. "But should you lose your job, Marlowe still has Jake - you know that right? He doesn't _need_ you."

_Actually, he does. _"Of course," I nodded. " - but right now I was talking to you - about you and me."

"What?"

"I came here for opportunities - to get away from the darkness my parents kept me in. So, believe me when I say I ... know what it's like to feel like you're wasting away. I've felt that pain and the anguish that comes with it."

"What are you trying to say, Sherry Birkin?"

"You're not worthless."

She froze. "W-What?" _You're not worthless because you mean a hell of a lot of worth to Jake. _I glanced at all the flowers in the room. Jake was doing his best to care for her.

I thought of Marlowe. "You're irreplaceable, Mrs. Wesker. During the time that you took care of Marlowe, he's told me how nice you were."

I saw tears in her eyes. "Marlowe... talks about me?"

I nodded. "He's always wanted to call you mommy - he's also told me how badly he wants to see you. He really misses you."

"I'm not his mother if I can't care for him and ... I don't want him to see me like this. It would hurt him – I'm sure it would." _So that's why Jake won't let Mar see her. She's asked him not to. She's also told him not to call her mother._

I smiled. "I understand – and if it helps - I think you look beautiful. Like a goddess."

She looked pleased as she looked at me. "Thanks... I don't get compliments often."

_When Jake told Mar that Mr. Wesker was a jerk, he meant because he doesn't provide the affection needed for Mrs. Wesker. Judging from everything so far - I'll assume he's been treating her strangely ever since she's gotten ill._

_Maybe he's the one who can't handle the idea of her passing away. Maybe he blames himself for adopting Mar – I mean, she got sick right afterwards so he might blame himself. _

_But she doesn't look sick._

"I don't get compliments often either." I admitted. "I've only recently been getting them from Marlowe - but that's because he's learned to be a gentleman – from Jake."

She laughed a little. "Shocking isn't it? My tough boy has a soft heart – but you didn't hear it from me, okay?"

"I hear you loud and clear!" we laughed together.

"...Thank you, Miss Sherry." she said, taking my hands in hers. They were soft and warm and I appreciated that she called me by my name. "I suppose... I'm not completely worthless."

"You're not worthless at all." I stated. "It's takes an amazing woman to do what you have. To have a son with morals, to adopt a little boy into your life and love him enough that he feels it and returns the feelings... You're fantastic and I'm honored to be in your presence."

She let a tear fall from her eye. "Thank you... how did Albert manage to find a little star like you? He's not the friendliest man."

"Try not friendly at all - considering Mar's how I got here. I guess he bugged him enough that he just gave in to get some peace!" we laughed again.

"So, Albert's not attracted to you?" she asked me suddenly and my stomach twisted.

"Gosh, no! It's almost like I'm not here when it comes to him!" I giggled. "Mar's the one attracted to me - he's just having trouble understanding I'm way too old for him."

She chuckled. "What about Jake? From the way he speaks of you I would've thought you were friends or something?"

"He talks about me that much?"

She smiled almost teasingly. "A little secret between you and me, he wishes you would talk to him more often." I blushed. "He says it's because you're close to his age - but I just know he thinks your cute - because you are."

"He... did call me a babe, but I thought he was teasing me." I whispered.

"He probably was considering he's prone to that. He likes to frustrate people." she sighed. "His issues with his father are what concern me most."

"What's going on with them?"

"Long story." she answered, then yawned softly. "I'm exhausted... but I haven't eaten today." my stomach twisted again. "Did you forget me, Sherry dear?"

"I-I, no Mrs. Wesker - "

"Stephanie's fine dear."

"Mrs. Stephanie," I said, insisting on being formal with her. "I..." I stopped.

_So Mr. Wesker lied... she's hungry and he lied to Mrs. Chambers... Why? _

"I could go make you something - it is closing in on lunch time." I glanced at my watch which read it was close to noon.

"That would be great. A turkey sandwich would really make me happy." she smiled.

I jumped up and gave her a bow. "As you command, ma'am!" she laughed at me as I jogged out of the room. "I'll be back in ten minutes - I promise!"

"Thank you, sweetheart!"

I was overjoyed. I finally met her and while things started off rough, they ended on a great note. I still had questions and concerns but they could wait.

Everything would come to me soon enough but for now I had to rejoice. I'd cheered her up and learned that Jake wanted to be friends. Funny, he could've told me - I probably would have fainted but he could have told me.

_Mr. Wesker lied about Jake bringing Mrs. Stephanie food... why? _I couldn't help but wonder just what was going on with him.

_Maybe he just didn't want to trouble Mrs. Chambers…_

_Or maybe… he didn't care?_

* * *

The next day rolled around and I was bushed. Marlowe had made a mess of the house with his toys and I had to clean up.

There were board games in the closet where my cleaning supplies were. So, while I was getting ready to run the floor vacuum, he yanked out the game MONOPOLY and accidently spilled all the game pieces everywhere. The kid then took all the money and raced through the house with it, dropping the paper everywhere as he pranced.

"Mar, get back here!" I cried as I chased him into the kitchen. "And stop running in here, it's not safe for you to!"

Just as I turned the corner, I came face to face with Mr. Wesker, holding a hilariously shocked Marlowe in his arms. How he caught him is beyond me – but I was grateful.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Wesker," I breathed. "I'm sorry, sir. I was trying to vacuum but he started playing with these money papers and I had to chase him –"

"It's fine, Miss Birkin." he started. "I was just coming to get him."

My eyes widened. "What? How come, sir?"

"Marlowe," he sat the child down slowly and stared him in the face. "I need you to go upstairs. I will be up there shortly."

"Why?" Marlowe asked cutely, he looked at me and I knew he wanted me to come with him. "Is Nanny Bear coming too?"

_Coming where?_

"I'm afraid not, Marlowe." Mr. Wesker answered, standing up and shooing the child gently. "Go on now, I'll be up a moment."

"Okay…" Marlowe said and I stood silently as Mr. Wesker watched him around the corner, turning to me once he made it upstairs I assume.

"Miss Birkin,"

"Yes, sir?"

"I will be taking Marlowe with me over the weekend, business related and… to have some father and son time." I blinked. _He wants to spend time with Mar? _

"So, since Mrs. Chambers will be here to look after Stephanie and Jake will most likely disappear again, you are relieved of your duties for the weekend."

My jaw dropped. "Pardon?"

"You have two days off." my heart sang with joy. "Since you live here, I expect the house to still be cleaned of course – but you're free to do as you please for two days."

I almost squealed but kept my composure. I was grinning like a kid high off sugar though. "Oh – thanks so much! But, what about Marlowe? Is he going to be okay? I'm going to miss him…" _He's taking my little boy. Aw, I'm going to miss him so much…_

I pouted a bit and then smiled to him, trying to get a reaction other than robotic out of him. "Please be good to him – I know you will but he's going to be so excited to spend time with you again."

"Of course, he is a child after all." a simple, deadpanned answer.

_What was I expecting? A joyful and hearty laugh?_

"We will be leaving in an hour," I glanced at the kitchen clock. It was 20:53 [8:53pm]. "I've already packed his things – while you were helping him to bathe in the upstairs bathroom." he answered as if he could read my mind.

_He was upstairs earlier? Now that I think about it, while I gave Mar his bath, I can remember hearing footsteps next door._

The upstairs bathroom was right next to Mar's room. It was smaller than the one next to my room but it had almost the same setup – the only difference was the lack of earth tones [it was black, green and white themed – gorgeous choice I must say] and there also was no sauna room or extra passage.

He turned to leave and then stopped. "Your check is on the counter, there." he gestured to the island counter and I nodded to him. "Feel free to go enjoy yourself – after you clean up the mess out here."

I smiled. "Yes sir – and thank you again." I blinked. "Um, what about if Jake comes home, I'm back on duty again, right?"

"Of course, whatever he says for you to do, you are to do." he breezed away, leaving me to stand there in the kitchen alone.

_I've got 2 days off… _I grabbed my check off the counter and gasped at the amount written. _I must be dreaming – I __**must**__ be dreaming! _But I wasn't.

I had two days off!

And I just got paid – almost quadruple my pay when I was at the coffee shop!

But I would be alone here, in the house. There was so much I could do! I could try the sauna! I could abuse the lounge and watch my favorite movie – _The Fast and the Furious_! Finally, I had time to myself!

But I was going to miss my little Mar-Mar – even if I did need the break.

"I'd better go give my little angel a goodbye. Two days is a while to be away from a caretaker." I said to myself as I followed Mr. Wesker's trail.

It was a quarter to zero hour as I lay in my bed. I was watching SpongeBob SquarePants on the 26 inch TV screen that sat on a stand between my windows. I'd closed the curtains earlier so my room was nice and dark.

It was quiet. No one was home except Mrs. Stephanie and me. Jake had left earlier and I didn't know if he would be home or not. Instead of waiting up for him, I decided to say goodnight to Mrs. Stephanie and then drag myself to bed.

I missed Mar already. Watching SpongeBob made me think of his blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He was upset that couldn't come along but I told him I would be right here when he returned – and I would, because he was really making a special place in my heart and I would never leave him.

I turned over and reached for the remote on my nightstand. I was just about to turn the television off when my cell started to vibrate. I looked at the caller ID and wasn't surprised to see Claire's name. We talked every night to make sure one another were alright.

"Hey, Claire!" I greeted her, snuggling up in my covers.

"Sher! Hey girl!" she squealed and I laughed at her. "So… I got your text – you're sure you're off tomorrow?"

"Yep, I'm sure." I said.

"Great! Okay, can you come over tomorrow? I've got some exciting news!"

I sat up a bit. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise!" I laughed a bit. "But I will say that it involves a heck of a lot of fun."

"What type of fun?"

"Oh shoot, I'm terrible with this time of thing." she whined, most likely about to spoil the surprise. "Okay, okay, just go to sleep and I'll call you first thing in the morning – got it?"

_Guess I was wrong about spoilers_. "Got it."

She hung up after that and I lay in bed, a big grin on my face. I felt like I was on top of the world and was excited about this surprise she had for me.

I drifted off to sleep shortly after turning off the TV. My dreams were of Jake, bringing me flowers.

* * *

A/N: Okay, now things are REALLY about to get good folks. I'm talking drama, laughs and JakexSherry coming up fast (But not too fast because I don't want anything rushed between them). But next chapter is my favorite – well one of them.

So, how was the chapter? Long enough – too long? I hope it was good. I try to get a main point across with every chapter I make so that it makes sense and if I were to cut it off I'm afraid I will lose my train of thought. LOL

Well, please R&R. I like feedback and constructive criticism. It makes it easier to see where I mess up at, etc.

See ya in a bit. Next chapter will introduce a TON of more people and lots of excitement. Bye!

-Vio


	4. Loose Cannon

Chapter 4:

Loose Cannon

* * *

The next day came quickly. I'd woken up at 6:00 in the morning like my usual schedule - I had completely forgotten that Mr. Wesker had given me the day off. Still, I made breakfast for myself and Mrs. Stephanie - and even made Mrs. Chambers a small sub sandwich for when she stopped by around 9:00 [Since she's made trips in and out of the house for snacks, I started making her a little something to slow up the frequent runs.]

Jake wasn't there in the morning - I guessed he never came home the night before. Just in case he did return, I left a note for him to be aware of my absence for the day but I promised to be back before it was too late.

I made sure to straighten up and clean, finishing just in time to catch Claire's call. She told me she would stop by and get me and then we were going to meet with a friend she had met recently.

I was beyond excited to get out of the house and see some more sights. I flew up the spiral stairs and told Mrs. Stephanie and Mrs. Chambers that I would be leaving - but not before informing them both that I'd made them some snacks to get them by until I returned later in that day.

Claire arrived at noon to get me. I had managed to shower, blow dry my hair and dress before she came. Once I let her in, she squealed and almost suffocated me with hugs.

We chatted for a brief moment and once I grabbed my purse, cell and house keys, we were out the door.

We caught the town bus and made our way to her place for what I hoped would be a great day.

Boy, try _eventful_ day.

* * *

When we arrived at her home, we talked for a while about how things had been going. It was great, just Claire and myself watching movies and having usual girl talk. All the while, I couldn't help but think she was hiding something from me.

Why?

Just a hunch - especially since she kept grinning at me for no reason whenever I would get silent.

Was she waiting for me to do something?

Maybe she was going to prank me again - she and Leon did that quite often when my 21st birthday was closing in. They bombed me with water balloons when I came home from the market that morning. At first it hurt my feelings because well, I guess I can be sensitive sometimes - but not all the time - but eventually I got over it. Still, I wasn't one to like pranks, especially ones by Claire.

It wasn't until around 18:00 [6:00pm] when I found out my suspicions were correct - she was up to something.

What was the proof? Well, it started when she came to me - in my old room and demanded that I change into the clothes that she'd brought to me from her own wardrobe.

I had no idea why she wanted me to - but I went along with it, for her sake and so she wouldn't get aggressive with me. I'm a tough girl despite my mild nature but Claire was in a league of her own and well... let's just say wrestling with her is **not** recommended.

Our difference in height was by a mere inch - well, three centimeters to be exact so I fit the clothes she gave me quite well, but that said, I'm not very sure the _style_ of clothes _fits_ me...

I felt like I looked a little too _edgy_. She made me wear _fishnet_ tights underneath a pair blue jean shorts that were very much _short_ and had tears along the back pockets with the bottom purposely tattered and frazzled. I wore a fitted white shirt with black stripes across it and she'd given me a leather V-neck jacket with little silver rhinestones along the collar - this complimented the high heel boots on my feet. They reached just over my ankle - the fur on the inside of them stuck out of the boot cutely and there were buckles along the top with rhinestones.

The icing on the cake here was my make-up and hairdo. I had a lot more dark shadow around my eyes than I was used to but it did bring out the blue in my eyes very much. I also had on eye liner and mascara with a little lipstick but not too much because my lips are naturally very pink. I didn't need foundation so Claire skipped that and went straight to my hair.

She brought a flat iron into my old room with her. I couldn't help but think how planned this was - but for what occasion?

She styled my hair so that most of it hung over my left eye and the back of my hair was smoothed down. Finally on top of my head, she placed a black beret with a round top. The hair in front of my eye escaped the beret and she claimed it looked cute.

I've never minded wearing make-up - I didn't wear it often enough so whenever I did, I had no qualms with it.

Now, my hair was another issue.

I certainly wished I'd grown it more but my hair being short made it so much more convenient for me in the mornings. All I ever had to do was wash it, blow dry it, brush it and comb it every morning - then be on my way. I imagined if I let my hair grow, it would be another thing to frustrate myself with.

Seeing my hair the way Claire did it made me wish it were longer - at least that way maybe she could have curled it or something. I felt like no matter what I did I would always just look like a little boy...

I guess Claire could sense my turmoil because she looked me straight in the eye and told me something that made me ponder a bit.

**Sherry, you've got to start being more aware of your own beauty and strength - you're a wonderful girl so stop beating yourself up!**

I'd never saw myself as very strong, but I was willing to get to that point. I wanted to be more assertive and less self-conscious…

When Claire gave me a pair of fingerless leather gloves with fur around the wrists and a light blue scarf to go loosely around my neck - I put them on with a smile on my face.

Whatever today brought me I would do my best to tackle it with grace.

Once she was finished dressing me like her new life-sized Barbie, she was full of glee and tossed me my purse. The next thing I knew, I was being dragged from the home and out into the cool October weather.

* * *

"Claire," I started once again with a sigh. "I'm going to ask one more time and I ask that you please answer me." she looked at me, her blue eyes shining with excitement. "_Where_ are we going?"

She put her arm around my shoulder and grinned. "Sherry my dear, we are going to meet a friend of mine." she answered and then added: "And yes, he's a guy - a great guy too."

_Oh, she's got a love interest. _I smiled. "Really now? What's his name?"

"His name is Steve. Steve Burnside." she laughed. "We're just really good friends so don't go assuming things - got it?"

"Hm, okay, if you say so." I turned in my seat to look out the window.

We were on another bus, making our way into another city. It looked a tiny bit urban with the amounts of graffiti writing in areas on buildings. Despite this, the strong English history was still evident in the shapes of them, however, the streets were quite a bit wider than the usual English roads.

"Why are we meeting him out here?" I asked. "Did you meet him here?"

She shook her head at me. "Nah, we met the day you left." she laughed a bit. "I left out to go get a quick bite to eat. It started to rain and my umbrella blew away in the breeze - typical huh?"

"It happens." I chimed.

"Well, I started to jog back to the house and I crashed into him. He had an umbrella and asked him if he minded escorting me to the house - since we weren't too far away. He teased me a bit - bratty little punk was my first impression of him."

"Not very gentlemanly," I giggled. "Lacking in good ol' British charm?"

"Very much so," she breathed. "But I managed to convince him I'd make him a nice cup of tea and he finally caved in and brought me home."

"Did you make him the tea?"

"Oh yeah, I always keep my promises!" she smiled softly. "We sat on the front patio, listened to the rain and just talked. Turns out he's from Canada, I figured as much with the way he says _sorry_." she put a very heavy accent onto the word and it made me laugh.

"Had a good time with him?" I asked. I noticed she had an aura of longing to her as she spoke of this guy. Almost like when she would reminisce about her good times in college.

"Yea, I did. We talked until close to midnight. Before he left, he gave me his number and said he'd love to talk more. Brat even called me a babe - I wasn't sure whether to be flattered, annoyed or just ignore him."

_That's what I thought about Jake. _It was kind of weird for her to think the same as me - almost word from word!

"So, which were you?" I asked, curious.

She blushed a bit and grinned at me. "Hmmm..." she tapped her chin twice and then said: "Very much annoyed."

* * *

We got out in front of a small bar. It looked almost like an old Irish Pub and the place was bustling with people drinking and shouting. The aura of danger was very much overwhelming. I made out at least three different groups of what I was sure were biker gangs. I clung to Claire's arm as I tried my best to ignore the biker boys eyeing me.

"Calm down, okay?" Claire whispered to me. I felt her give my hand a squeeze. "If you look tough they won't bother you."

I took a deep breath and released her. _Remember Sherry, you've got to be strong and confident, you can do this! _

As we entered the place, the smell of booze, smoke and sweat was out of this world. I followed behind Claire as we headed towards a table located in the back. Oddly enough, the place seemed to freshen up as we got closer to one particular table.

Sitting there was a pretty young looking guy, maybe a little older than myself. His hair a rich auburn color and clean cut, short - I noticed his right ear had a small piercing. His skin was pale, from what I could make from his face and he was wearing a leather jacket with a dog tag around his neck. I couldn't see the rest of him.

He was surrounded by four others, they all looked like a fierce bunch and I made sure not to make eye contact - just to be safe.

_Oh Claire, why would you bring me here? Is this some sort of prank? My birthday isn't until -_

"Steve!" Claire shouted beside me. There was so much noise in the pub that she was barely loud enough.

"Well, well," I assumed this was Steve as he was the only one who stood from his seat and stepped forward to meet us. He had a smile on his face and I noticed a glint come to his eye. "Claire, how are you, babes?"

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" she snarled slightly, a blush was on her cheeks again. "I'm not your _babes_!"

"Soon, my dear." he teased with a smirk. He looked at me and I shivered a bit, hoping he didn't notice. "Looks like you brought a friend! Who's this lovely girl?"

I was faking this bravery thing. I extended my hand to him. "Sherry, nice to meet you."

He grinned. "Well she's nice and fine as wine, too!" I blushed much to my own dismay. "Is she coming too?"

_Going where?_

"She sure is," said Claire with that mischievous grin once again. I felt my heart racing.

"Well in that case, allow me to introduce you to the crew." he gestured to the four people behind him. "This is Carlos," Carlos was handsome and looked very much Hispanic. He wore similar attire as Steve, though he wore more green and was taller than him.

"This lovely lady is Sheva, tough as nails this chick." Sheva was lovely with her olive skin and enchanting eyes. I couldn't help but think she reminded me of a panther with her glowing hazel eyes. She looked the epitome of beauty and death.

"This guy with the hoodie here is David," David gave off an aura of mystery, the black hoodie he wore made him seem intense. His eyes were smoky in color and he had an expressionless face.

And now..." he pulled one guy forward and I noticed that said guy and Claire looked delighted to see each other. "You should already know Piers."

"Piers!" Claire squealed and gave the guy a big hug. Piers looked very friendly, especially when he laughed and returned her embrace. He was handsome, not too tall and just seemed all around approachable.

"Hey Claire, you're totally suffocating me." Piers said, his voice was raspy.

"Sorry," Claire released him. "I just never knew you knew who Steve was!"

"Steve and I are cousins."

"Yeah," Steve stepped forward and gave Piers a look. "He told me he met you from your brother, what's that all about?"

Piers chuckled a bit and it made me smile. _Okay, why am I smiling at him? _"When I was in the army, I was good friends with her brother - we still are. So when I came to visit him, I met Claire there." he had a sheepish grin on his face. "I wasn't expecting you to be here, Claire."

"Same here!" she giggled.

"Better be all there is to it..." I heard Steve mumble. _Someone's jealous... _

"Piers, this is Sherry," Claire grabbed my hand and made me shake his. "Sherry, this is Piers."

"Nice to meet you." I said and felt my cheeks heat up.

"Likewise," he said with another smile.

"Okay, okay." Steve intercepted. "Introductions aside, you guys ready? The big event starts in a bit and I've got to be there for it." He put an arm around Claire's waist and winked to her when she scowled. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah!" everyone around me shouted and I stood there dumbfounded.

_Just what are we about to do?!_

I looked at Claire, unable to stop the panic from coming on. "W-Where are we... What are we - What's going on, Claire?" I shouted over the other voices in the vicinity.

She pulled me closer by my arm. "We're here to see some fights, that's all."

_Did she say... fights? As in underground fighting? _

"Claire, is this legal?" I cried.

"Probably not but who cares, we will be in and out in no time!"

I felt sick with anxiety. I had never been involved in anything criminal! For goodness sake, I was responsible for the care of a young child and couldn't afford to get anything bad on my record!

I felt conflicted, anxious and angry all the same. Why didn't Claire tell me this was what we were going to do? I should have known though, especially after she made me dress so hardcore. Surely I shouldn't have assumed I was going to be doing anything innocent.

I wanted to yell at her and leave - but I couldn't. This was the same lady who was kind enough to take me in, bring me here, and loved me no matter what. So why did she put me in the middle of a situation that I wasn't comfortable with? To strengthen me? Hell - she could've just taken me for boxing lessons!

I didn't notice how fumed I was until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I gasped when I realized it was Piers.

"Hey, you alright Miss?" he asked softly. Claire and the rest were walking ahead, he and I were trailing behind but not by much.

I sighed, fighting back tears of frustration. "I'm okay..."

"Not your usual scenery?"

I blinked at him, shocked that he could read me so well. "Honestly... no, it's not."

"Not mine either," he started. "But I'm here to just have a good time and maybe you should try too."

"_How_...?" I asked myself this more but I was sure Piers had heard me.

I watched Claire and Steve walk side by side, his arm still around her waist and she was laughing at something he said. She looked truly happy - despite our surroundings. She was always so carefree and lively, I wanted to be that way.

_If only I could be more easy-going._

We got to the back door and exited the pub one by one. We walked through the back alley for a while until we reached a large warehouse. The large twin metal doors were sealed by a chain and padlock.

Steve walked up and pulled out his keys from his pocket. Moments later the chain and padlock fell to the ground and I watched quietly beside Piers as Carlos and David opened the doors for us to enter.

We walked inside and I couldn't help but notice how badly the place needed remodeling. The ceiling was coming down, the floors were cracked and the whole area before us was empty. The room glowed grey courtesy of the moonlight shining in from above.

I shivered from the cold and looked to Claire. She was talking to Sheva now and they looked to be enjoying each other's company. Steve was chatting with David and Carlos about something and from beside me, Piers had begun to look around the place with the same expression that I held.

I couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking the same as I was.

_Why isn't this place condemned?_

At least it was quiet in here, unlike the pub from earlier. My nerves were finally starting to ease up a bit.

"Sherry, is it?" I turned to Piers and nodded to confirm my name. "This isn't where the fights are, if you're wondering." he whispered. "They're downstairs. Up here is where David and Carlos keep watch for the cops."

I blanched, eyes widening. "C-Cops?" I whispered dumbfounded. "Oh boy..."

"Relax," Piers whispered, chucking a bit. "Listen, I know it might be crazy - scary even for those of us who like to live on the sunny side of life..." he met my eyes and they had a glint that was truly comforting. "But that shouldn't take away our ability to have a good time. We can still have fun! I mean, scary movies are scary but we still watch them for fun, right? - Well, _I_ watch them for that reason - I don't know about you."

I started to laugh at him, he was pretty charming and I was starting to feel more at ease. "You're right. I guess I'm just being difficult - I've always been cautious and I think _way_ too much about things when I should just be trying to have a good time."

He put his arm around my shoulder and I fought the urge to shiver under his touch. "If it helps, this is my second time here and I can honestly say I was feeling the same way you are now on my first day - but don't worry, you'll get more comfortable as the night goes on."

"I hope so," I sighed trying desperately not to get closer to him. I had a bad habit of clinging to people when I was nervous.

"You will - but if you need a boyfriend or buddy for the evening, I'm your guy!" he beamed at me.

_Buddy for the evening? As in a boyfriend for the night? _"Y-You mean we're like boyfriend and g-girlfriend for the evening?" I thought I might faint at the idea of getting a boyfriend, no matter how badly I wanted one, I wasn't sure I could handle it.

"Yep! We'll be attached by the hip! Best friends!" he laughed. "And plus, this way no one will mess with you - hit on you I mean."

I felt much more relieved than before. With Piers beside me I felt safe - like I had someone to talk to besides Claire and it was soothing to know.

_I just made my first friend in England._

"I'd like that very much." I said softly, wrapping my arm around his waist. We laughed and walked up to the rest of the group.

Claire looked at us and giggled a bit. "Looks like you two are friends already, huh?"

"Yep." we chimed.

Sheva shook her head. "You're quite the nice guy, aren't you Piers." _That's a pretty accent she has._

"We both stick out like sore thumbs so why not?" I nodded agreeing with him.

"Okay," Steve sounded out suddenly. "It's show time. We're gonna head downstairs now. Our first fighters should be here in the next thirty minutes so the place is about to get crowded. David, Carlos, you two go man the doors. Claire, you stick by me at all times." I noticed Claire roll her eyes. "Sheva, Sherry, Piers - you come on too, before things get nuts."

Claire sent me a wink as she fell in place beside Steve. "It's show time!"

I grinned, my nerves starting up again. "Piers?" I whispered. "How crowded does this place get?"

"Very."

* * *

I could barely hear anything in the room anymore - besides screaming and cursing. The basement was crowded beyond 'very' as Piers claimed. I had a spot right in the front with Piers to my right and Sheva on the left of me. I was constantly bumped by someone behind me - I even felt a guy grind against my ass. So much for having a boyfriend lessening the harassment.

The fights hadn't even started yet but so many people were yelling and screaming, tossing money and shouting bets on people. Everyone had formed around a large circle for the fighters when they arrived and seemed to be getting more and more impatient as time went on.

Finally, I saw Steve emerged from the crowd to the right of Piers and myself. He looked cocky and it was then I saw Claire come up beside him, her arm around him - she looked confident as always.

_They're hosting? _

I listened as Steve announced the two fighters on either side of the room. One guy was really big and muscular with a handlebar mustache and the other had a lot of tattoos on his body.

Piers started cheering as the two started fighting while I just flinched every time a blow connected. They were brutalizing each other and the crowd was going wild. I gasped as one guy lost a tooth.

"Awesome isn't it?!" Piers shouted beside me.

I smiled. "Yeah!" _Not really! People are getting hurt!_

I felt Sheva tap me and I looked at her. "These guys are pushovers! Just wait for the real fighters - you'll be in awe, trust me!"

"Why's that?" I shouted back.

"The real show happens when the champions come in! Just wait, you'll see!"

A couple more fights happened and I was starting to feel a bit sick because of the bloody noses, bruises and teeth I kept seeing. One fight was so intense, the loser got tossed into the crowd - not on my side luckily but I felt bad for the guys that got crushed.

The next fight was two girls. One was a blonde with a ponytail. She looked more than ready to kick some ass. The other was a brunette with a bored almost poker face expression. She was tall and fit with well - proportioned curves. She wore a black fitted t-shirt underneath a leather jacket, on her bottom was a simple pair of jeans tucked into a pair of knee length leather boots.

"Oh my God..." I heard Piers say beside me.

I turned to him "What? What's wrong?!" I shouted over the commotion.

"It's _Helena_!" he looked flabbergasted. "Helena! Helena!" he shouted towards the brunette, alas she couldn't hear him.

"You know her?" I asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"I..." judging from the look in his eye - there was no mistake there.

_He likes her... _I looked at her and watched her approach the blonde, Piers calling for her the entire time. I wondered was she his girlfriend but doubted it because she seemed more like a long lost lover by the way he shouted for her.

"Sherry!" Sheva shouted beside me. "Piers is hooked on her - leave him be!" she laughed a bit and put her arm around me. "By the way, she's one of the pros! Watch her closely!"

I nodded but from the corner of my eye I watched Piers move through the crowds, desperately trying to somehow get to her. It was like a romance movie - except reversed somehow. Shouldn't the girl be on the sidelines crying for the guy?

A loud impact caught my attention and I watched as Helena gave the blonde girl an impressive right hook. The other girl looked dazed for a moment and then she swung at Helena. Helena sidestepped and then thrust her left fist into the girl's stomach. As she doubled over in pain, Helena waited patiently for her to rise - which she did after a couple moments.

I was amazed that her punches hurt the girl so badly. "She must have iron fists!" I shouted to Sheva.

She laughed. "Hell yeah! Look!"

As soon as I looked again, the other girl had begun to come at Helena with a flurry of fists, each one was dodged with such finesse it was hard not to start cheering - so I did. I started cheering for this girl I didn't know but damn she was so awesome!

"Go Helena!" I shouted in union with Sheva. "Get her!"

Helena tripped her opponent and began to straddle the girl, instantly she started pounding the girls face in. I cringed watching it happen but I was anxious to see Helena win. Five punches later, the girl was knocked out and Helena was named the victor by Steve and Claire.

"Yay!" Sheva and I squealed together, hugging each other and laughing.

I couldn't believe how much fun I was having suddenly. Sheva was a lot friendlier than I first thought she would be. She came off as scary but she was actually very affectionate - especially to me. She grabbed me whenever she could and would hold my hand. She even encouraged me to shout, jump up and down - even talk trash to the losers.

I was being wild for once and _damn_ it felt good!

Helena won two matches, not a scratch was landed on her. She didn't smile when she won either - she was a serious poker faced champion and I loved her. I wanted to meet her. I figured I would try and say greetings to her once I found Piers again - hopefully he would introduce us.

I saw him approach her, instantly wrapping her in a hug. For the first time since I'd seen her, she showed emotion. She looked shocked at his contact, I could even make out a blush before she pushed him away and folded her arms around her front, and a cute pout was on her face as she awkwardly tried to keep him from enveloping her in his arms again.

"Cute, isn't it?" Sheva said, I nodded laughing. "Piers' is like, so smitten with her. I think they have history."

"I figured," I said, meeting Claire's eyes from across the room. She cheesed widely at me and then blew me a kiss. I laughed, waving to her. At least she still remembered I was there - I thought she forgot me. "I'm jealous he's such a romantic - not a lot of those around anymore!"

Sheva nodded. "Got that right."

"Shev, Sher!" we both looked to Piers as he called us over, his arm around the still pouting Helena. Sheva and I grinned to each other then made our way over, pushing through the crowds of sweaty men still shouting.

I felt like I was having an out of body experience standing in front of Helena. She was so tough I felt like I was meeting a celebrity - even more, it seemed like she was much more beautiful up close.

"Girls, this is Helena, Helena - this is Sheva and Sherry." Piers introduced us like I figured he would. Quite a hopeless romantic he seemed, but he was still a wonderful gentleman.

Sheva laughed. "Helena and I already know each other, Piers!" He blushed embarrassed and Helena sent Sheva a nod, to which she returned with a smile.

Helena looked me in the eye and I extended my hand to her, blushing when she took it. "Nice to meet you, Helena!" I shouted so she could hear me. "You're an amazing fighter!"

"And you're gorgeous, we should meet up sometimes."

_...What?_

"Easy Helena!" Sheva said with a loud laugh. "I don't think Sherry's into girls!"

_Helena's a lesbian? But Piers likes her -_

"Helena," Piers sighed. "I'm certain I can offer you more than any woman ever could!" he was dead serious now as he stared her in the eye.

"Ooh..." Sheva and I chorused, grinning. I mean, it's obvious what he was implying.

Helena pouted with a frown. "I just want a pretty girl, dickwad. Nothing's gonna stop that."

I blushed, shocked I was being hit on by a girl. _Am I really that pretty? Wow... _

My pride was skyrocketing now. A gorgeous girl like Helena was hitting on me - so that had to mean something.

Eventually we became so busy that we ignored two whole fights just laughing and harassing Piers. He really was quite shy with girls and it was easy to gang up on him and 'molest' him as Sheva put it. He didn't fight much, especially not when Helena licked his ear - that made him shiver for obvious reasons. Things somehow got to a point where Helena started to touch me - it was awkward... but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't having fun.

_As long as she doesn't kiss me there's no problems right?_

Well that got thrown out the window when Sheva kissed my cheek. Guess kisses never hurt either.

_As long as it's on the cheek - That's it!_

We were in the midst of ticking Piers before we realized we'd failed to hear Steve announce the next fighters. The crowd had suddenly gotten wilder, people were pushing and roughing each other up, shouting a particular name. Sheva and I got pushed into Helena and she caught us with ease, holding me there for a second before handing me to Sheva. Helena began to stand on her tippy-toes to try and see over Piers' shoulder and another guy who'd gotten in front of us. Piers was the one to look and see the fighters.

"Well, I see a really big guy, he's about 200 centimeters [about 6"5] that's for sure." Piers told us. Helena gave his backside a couple pats and he wormed away from her. "The other guy is like ten centimeters shorter. He's got a hoodie on, shit - I think it's Jay!"

"Jay?!" Sheva shouted incredulously. "He's here tonight?! Oh shit, Sherry you've gotta see this fine piece of man!"

_Who's Jay? _"Who is he?" I asked all three around me. Sheva took my hand, Helena put her arm around my waist and I saw her grab Piers by his belt as Sheva led us through the crowd to our former spots.

"You're gonna fucking love him, Sherry!" Sheva shouted. "He kicks ass and looks fuckable, doesn't he Helena?"

"Yep." she answered and I noticed she was standing behind Piers with her arms around his abdomen. Piers was much too excited by the fight about to go on to notice, which surprised me.

_They'd have great sex. _I blushed. I was really being dirty this evening.

"Look, there he is!" Sheva shouted to me and pointed at the hooded man.

He was tall, his face was hidden by the black hoodie - until he took it off. I was shivering, drool pooled in my mouth as I gazed at the God-like body before me. His muscles were lean and he had a few scratches here and there but overall he was perfect. The white beater he wore clung to his muscles and I had an itch to touch him…

_Hold on..._ Something about the back of his head looked familiar.

As he cracked his knuckles and lifted his head from the ground to gaze at the large beast that was to be his opponent, the room's crappy lighting caught his face.

A long scar down his cheek...

My jaw dropped. _Holy shit..._

"Gorgeous isn't he?!" Sheva sighed, dreamily.

_Oh... My... God..._

All around me people were shouting **Jay, Jay, Jay**...

All I could think was...

"_Jake?!_"

* * *

A/N: Holy smokes! XD

I hope you guys/girls liked this chapter – this is actually the first part. This was an extremely long chapter so I had to shorten it. The next part will be up soon. If you see any errors, let me know - it's 2 am and I'm exhausted lol

I hope everyone's okay with PiersxHelena. I'm a big fan of them. I've seen a couple SherryxJake artists on pixiv feature them too and that just increased my love. 3 LOL

Well, R&R folks, I'll be sure to update soon! [Goes to drool over Jake]


	5. The Wolf's Playground

Chapter 5:

The Wolf's Playground

* * *

_What on earth is he doing here?! Oh my God, he's a fighter?! No - No, I'm dreaming - I'm freaking dreaming!_

I began shaking my head uncontrollably as I stared at Jake. It really was him! There was no mistaking that distinct scar on the left side of his face.

Sheva must have mistaken my disbelief for admiration. "I know! He's one hell of a man! Just wait until you see him fight - he gets all the girls wet!"

I didn't know what to say at that moment. I couldn't even move, let alone speak. I was in complete odds with myself. Part of me was in shock that I knew a underground fighter, another part of me was worried he could get hurt, another part of me was curious of his fighting skills, the other five parts consisted of:

_Oh gosh, he looks so good right now. He can't be serious - his mother is ill and he wants to put himself into situations like this? He's obviously a professional Sherry, I mean, why else is everyone cheering for him? What am I gonna do - if he sees me he might get angry and tell Mr. Wesker! Hm, while all these other people know him by 'Jay', I know him as 'Jake' - and I get up close with him every day - go me!_

The last one, I'm not too proud of but hey I couldn't help it - with all the other girls in the room opening their jackets for him and some trying to flash the guy their goodies... I'll admit, I felt a little jealous and just wanted to have **something** over the others.

_Come on Sherry, you're his maid for goodness sake! You should be professional - he's essentially your boss so stop thinking of yourself as possibly having anything more than a professional relationship with him!_

"You guys ready?!" Steve shouted over the raging fanboys and girls, Claire was beside him as he gave Jake a friendly pat on the shoulder.

The crowd cheered and I felt panic overwhelm me as I observed Jake's opponent once more. He was huge, his fists were almost the size of my head! I gasped and grabbed Sheva's hand to catch her attention.

"Th-There's no way he can take someone that size!" I cried, glancing back and forth.

"Are you kidding?!" she replied, almost like she was amazed I didn't believe in him or something. "Just watch - you'll see him kick that load of garbage to curb!"

As soon as she said that, the fight began. I watched frantically as the larger male swung viciously at Jake, only to miss repeatedly. Jake kept a smirk on his face as he swerved and ducked away from the guy. This continued for a brief moment until Jake grabbed his opponents fist and parried it away in a flash, following up with an elbow to the guys nose. Blood began to stream from the bigger male's now broken nose and down his face.

I was shocked that Jake was capable of doing that - a smile came to my face but I was still nervous.

"Get him, Jay!" Sheva shouted beside me, screaming and cheering as if she were at some sort of ball game.

"Kick his ass!" I heard Piers cheer.

The bigger guy recovered and began to swing once again, each one was dodged with relative ease. Jake broke through the guys attacks somehow and landed a powerful kick to his stomach which made the guy stagger backwards. Blood leaked from his mouth as he stumbled and struggled to keep standing.

"Is that all, asshole?" Jake taunted as he stepped towards his opponent ever so slowly, he was almost like a predator about to finish his pray off for good. There was a wild look in his eye and it both frightened me and _excited_ me.

Not very proud of this but hey - I am a **grown** woman!

_He's also my boss... Cut it out Sherry, stop it!_

The crowd just grew wilder and cheered to unbelievable levels. I was quiet - this all just felt surreal. I was happy he was winning - but he was different from the other fighters I'd seen over the course of the evening. Unlike Helena, who was calm when she fought and didn't boast, letting her skills talk for her - Jake was cocky and relentless, opening and closing his fists out of a hell fueled need to hurt someone.

He was so _different_. Almost like a wild animal - like a _wolf_. And I liked it. I liked it so much.

_But it's still wrong - I work for him so I shouldn't think this way. Besides, how would Marlowe and Mrs. Stephanie feel about Jake pulling crazy stunts like this? Does Mrs. Stephanie even know? _I bit my bottom lip.

His opponent stood up and let out some sort of battlecry, then charged at Jake. I held my breath for only a second before Jake sent a powerful blow with his fist to the guy's upper chin that made him flip backwards and land loudly onto the ground.

He was down for the count. Jake had won in under a minute.

I was stunned for a moment until the crowd around me exploded into applauds, roars and whistles of approval once again. Sheva hugged me tight and squealed into my ear about his victory. I too was cheering now, I just couldn't believe that he was able to take down such a big guy and not get a single injury.

He was incredible - inhuman, and I liked him for it. I _adored_ him.

I also wanted to scold him for being so reckless with his life.

Jake stood in the center waiting for his next fight, his smirk never left his face. I kept telling myself to get out of there before he saw me but I couldn't. I kept telling myself that I just wanted to stay and make sure he would be alright but I knew very well that I didn't want to leave because I wanted to watch and admire him some more.

I decided I would keep myself hidden from his sight and stick around for a while longer.

_Nothing wrong with looking out for my boss right?_

Jake's next fight was even easier than the first - in fact, it wasn't even a fight. It was another big guy but only in muscle mass. He wasn't much taller than Claire [who was 170 centimeters - 5"7] so when he stood up to Jake, he was visibly trembling. I felt bad for him.

Jake towered over him dauntingly. He lowered himself just enough to look him in the eye and the guy took one step backward. Jake frowned, I was sure he was angered by the cowardly display. A second later, he headbutted him, knocking him off his feet and then picked him up by his legs and threw him into the crowd.

Again, everyone on my side was spared. The same side as last time was victimized once more by someone's body weight. Those poor saps... A second later, Jake was declared winner.

It looked like Jake's fights were about to be over then as no one stood forward to challenge him. However, one poor man was thrown into the ring just as Jake was about to turn away. He shot the guy a glare and then his brows raised, amusingly.

"Well, well, looks like the little puppy has been found." he chuckled, and then crouched down to grab the man by his hair.

I could make out that he was a brunette and wore a similar style of clothing to nearly everyone else in the room but I wasn't able to see his face.

"Let me go, shithead!" he shouted, struggling against Jake.

"What's going on?" I asked Sheva, the fights seemed to have taken a darker turn.

"That guy is the boyfriend of Helena's little sister, I only know her by the name Debbie. He's been beating her little sister up for a while now apparently and I knew Helena wanted to kick his ass but I guess Jay decided he'd do it for her." she answered, eyes locked on the scene.

"That's terrible," I started when a realization hit me. "Helena and _Jay_ know each other?" I was careful with the use of Jake's name, I was sure 'Jay' was some sort of alias.

"Those two are inseperable." she sighed. "All the girls envy Helena for it too. I mean, who wouldn't want to get close to Jay every single day?"

_That close huh? _I felt a pang to my gut. I looked over at Helena and noticed she had released her hold on Piers but still was beside him, and now was gazing at the confrontation Jake was having with her sister's boyfriend.

"Are they... a couple?" I asked hesitantly.

Sheva shrugged. "Don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised. Seems like everyone's attracted to Helena. She kicks ass, she's hot, she likes girls _and_ guys, and most importantly, she's fearless. There isn't much she wouldn't do. Topped off with that constant poker face of hers, she keeps everyone guessing - she's an enigma."

_In other words, the perfect girl for guys who like to walk on the wild side of life, like Jake... _I sighed and shook my head.

_Well, back to the professional role - right Sherry? Back to where you belong._

"...I'll... **fucking** kill that **bitch**!" I blinked as I heard Debbie's boyfriend shouting at Jake and Helena. He escaped Jake's grasp and took a swing at him - Jake moved out of the way.

"Come on, asshole -bring it." Jake challenged, looking more ravenous than before.

Debbie's boyfriend ran towards him and instantly tackled him to the ground. I gasped and cried out for him - only to notice he had begun to dodge even while he was down. The other guy continued to hit the concrete, cracking it with every impact. Somehow Jake managed to get him off and once he stood again he grabbed the man by his lower jaw tightly and I felt a sudden and powerful wave of nausea overtake me when I heard a loud cracking noise.

Jake's fist collided forcefully with the man's face and he spun sideways in the air before landing on the ground with thud.

_He... He broke his jaw didn't he? With his fist! _I held my stomach and looked away immediately afterwards. I didn't want to see how it looked. I couldn't stomach it.

Everyone was still cheering - excited by the way Jake was handling the fight. I kept myself turned away until I heard him speak - and even then, I couldn't bear to look out of fear Jake would see me and throw a fit.

_Shit, shit, shit - please don't look over here! Please don't!_

"Now..." he said loudly over the fans screaming for him. "Apologize to the lady."

_Oh boy... _I kept my face turned away towards Sheva. I noticed her eyes were wide and I just knew he talking about Helena - which meant he could see my face if I moved.

"Don't worry about it, Jay. I'm good." came Helena's voice.

I peeked and saw that Jake had pulled the bloodied man over right in front of Piers and Helena. Helena was glaring at the guy but she still appeared calm.

"Are you okay?" Sheva asked me while I discreetly moved behind a guy so that Jake couldn't see me. "You're acting odd, Sher..."

"I'm fine!" I lied, my stomach was feeling a bit better but now I was feeling bitter - towards Helena. Jake going so far as to brutalize a guy for her - I figured that was definitely something a guy would do for a girl they really cared for.

How much did he care for her for her was the question. I feared the answer but I told myself to stay calm, I could just be overreacting. Maybe he just cared for her as a friend? Everyone in this little circle - Sheva, Piers, Helena, Steve, Claire - they all seem close in some way, maybe he's just like them.

_Why should you even care so much Sherry? You're his nanny Sherry, remember? You have to be professional. You shouldn't even contemplate relations with a guy who's technically your boss just as much as Mr. Wesker._

I felt miserable then, so much that I never heard the guy apologize to Helena [if he did - but that may very well had been the crowd's fault that I couldn't hear as well] and I also failed to hear if Jake was announced as victor or not - but the sight of the guy being dragged away from the room was enough of an answer for me.

I saw Steve and Claire applauding Jake and speaking to him. I prayed Claire wouldn't call me over to introduce me. I really needed to get out and make my way home before Jake noticed and before it was too late - after all I had to get back before...

_Oh my God! The time!_

I reached into my purse and almost tore my cell phone from it. As the screen lit up my jaw dropped. It was 3:00 in the morning! I was jittery, a wreck. I really wasn't expecting Claire to bring me out to a place like this so when I promised to be home before late - I didn't expect it to be too late. It was now 3 am and I was devastated.

I needed to get home - before Jake saw me and also so I could keep my promise to Mrs. Stephanie and Chambers.

I was in a frenzy, I just didn't know what to do. I needed to tell Claire I was leaving but she was with Jake! I had no way of getting home - unless I called a cab or something but I wasn't sure they were in business so late.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Sheva gripped my forearm. "W-What are you doing?" I croaked.

"Taking you to meet Jay, silly!" and nausea punched me in the gut once again. I tugged away from her in a flash and she gawked at my speedy reflexes. "Damn Sher, what's the matter? You nervous?" she laughed. "Don't worry, a pretty girl like yourself - he's bound to want to get your number!"

_Oh so he's a flirt too, that helps! _My tummy was in knots now, I could see she was right, there were girls surrounding him now and since his back was to me I couldn't see his face.

_Get over it Sherry. You have a job to do._

"I-I can't Sheva," I whined. "I um, have to go outside and make a phone call! It's too loud in here so I need to step out, alright?"

It was true, I needed to go make sure Mrs. Chambers was staying overnight with Mrs. Stephanie. I had set up the guest room for her just in case she decided to.

Her cat-like eyes studied me for a moment. "Do you... want me to come with you?"

"No! Er, I mean no, I'll be fine," I really didn't want anyone to know I worked for Jake. I didn't want him to know I was there at all. "...Just go talk to _Jay_ and I'll be right back and ready to meet him!"

"Okay," she smiled, gave me a quick hug.

"Oh, and let Claire know I'm outside okay?" I pleaded, I didn't dare try to tell her myself with Jake near her. "Tell her it's my job - she'll understand."

"Got it."

I thanked her and turned swiftly to make my way towards the exit. I wasn't too much worried about Jake anymore. I was certain he was done fighting for the evening, so I told myself my job with him was pretty much done. I was solely focused on getting in touch with Mrs. Chambers.

* * *

I had no idea where I was going but I was so out of there and dialing numbers as I walked. I brushed past a confused Carlos and ever serious David as I exited the building, but not before telling them I was just going to make a call. They were kind enough to offer being a bodyguard for me but I declined them - I wouldn't wonder off too far, in fact I was just going around the corner.

I dialed Mrs. Chambers number. It rang three times before she answered, her voice was groggy and tired. "Miss Sherry?"

I giggled nervously. "Hi Mrs. Chambers, I'm so sorry did I wake you?"

"Yes but it's fine - is everything okay? Where are you? You said you wouldn't be too late - it's almost four in the morning!"

_Good, she's still at the house. _I sighed, relieved.

"I'm so sorry. I went with my friend Claire and she... got drunk, I lost her and had to find her." I felt terrible lying. I felt like I was just the most deceptive little nanny in the world. "I've got her now so I should be back pretty soon."

"Oh, okay, I understand. You young girls are always so spontaneous!" she laughed and I began to wonder how old she was. She looked the same age as I did! "Well, I'm staying over so don't worry too much. My husband's a cop and when he's not home at night I feel lonesome."

I was touched. I didn't like being alone either. All those nights I spent alone without my parents and when I moved out from Claire's. I still couldn't sleep in a bed if no one was home with me. I always slept on the couch for some reason.

"I understand, I'm kind of the same." I told her.

"Jake's not here either," she suddenly said and I twitched. "Wonder where he is..."

_He's here where I am, Mrs. Chambers - unfortunately that's where he is._

"Thanks for listening and I promise I'll be there soon."

"Alright then, be safe and see you in a bit."

When we hung up the phone I let out a held in breath. At least she wasn't angry. I lowered my head to ground and thought of Claire. What was I to do? She was still inside and I could only go get her if I went inside - but I didn't want to risk Jake seeing me.

Even worse, I hated the idea of ruining her fun. I hated crashing everyone's party. If I made Claire leave, most likely Steve would want to go and I was sure everyone else would too without him there.

_This is crazy. If I leave everyone's gonna hate me, they'll never invite me anywhere again because I'll be a party pooper. _I groaned. _And I promised Piers I would be attached to his hip for the night. I didn't even tell him I was leaving. So much for my first friends - they'll never wanna hang with me again._

I shook my head. I needed to stop thinking that way. I had responsibilities to uphold and they were nice people. Surely they would understand - they comforted me and cheered with me even played around with me. I needed to have more faith that they wouldn't just abandon me because I had a job.

"Sherry!" my heart sang as I heard Claire call out for me. I was ready to call her mommy and run into her arms - but I was more than sure she was going to scold me.

"Claire!" I responded, looking around for her. I finally saw a flicker of red hair emerge from around the corner of the building and I sighed with relief realizing it was her.

I jogged up to her, tears were forming in my eyes. I just felt like I was drowning. "Claire... I'm sorry..."

She hugged me. "Damn Sherry, I was so worried - are you okay? I saw you for a second then next thing I knew you were gone! I thought you were snatched up or running from someone!"

_I kind of was... _"I needed to make a call, that's all - really." I sighed. "I'm so sorry for worrying you, Claire."

She shook her head. "Don't ever do that again!" she brushed hair away from her eyes.

"I won't, I promise." I assured.

She smiled and pulled me into another hug. "I forgive you. Want to go back inside?" my stomach knotted again. "You were having so much fun earlier - there might be a couple more matches and then we're heading home. Oh, and Piers is looking for you." she laughed. "Something about a girlfriend for the evening?"

I blushed and tried to stifle my giggles. "Yeah, he is my boyfriend for the evening." Despite his clinging to Helena, I was relieved he hadn't forgotten me as his buddy.

Thinking of Helena reminded me of Jake - how he fought for her and how Sheva told me about how close the two were. Inseparable meant that they were always together. She wasn't sure if they were an item but she did mention how easily people took to Helena. Hell - even I was taken with her.

_Even now…_

I realized Helena had never done anything wrong to me. She even flirted with me! I was being a jerk for feeling bitter towards her just because she probably was dating my boss.

I also thought about how all those other girls surrounded him ready to jump his bones in a split second. Guys like Jake seem like they wouldn't hesitate with that either.

I was just his maid. His little maid that looked too much like a boy. Perhaps that was how he saw me.

_I'm so stupid for thinking this way. I should just get over it already. The only reason we even know each other is because of the fact that I take care of his family. I should be giving most if not all of my attention to Marlowe..._

The thought of Marlowe finding out about all of this made me sick. I missed him so much and I wasn't sure I could face him with the same innocence I had before - I had seen a darker side of the world now - a more animalistic side that I wasn't too proud of.

_Could it be that Jake feels this way too?_

"Sherry," Claire started and she startled me out of my thoughts, her voice was soft and concerned. "Did you... want to go home?"

I blinked. "How can you tell?"

"I was just guessing, you were taking so long to respond to me about going back inside." she sighed. "Look, if you want to I understand. It's late, I forgot you get up early at your job - I'll go back inside and tell Steve we're leaving, ok?"

I felt awful. I really didn't want to ruin her good time. I needed to tell her everything - from the promise to return home on time and also about Jake being my bosses other son - I owed her that much for everything she'd done for me. I took in a breath and gripped both of her hands in mine.

"Claire, I'm sorry - it's not that I don't want to go back in but... you have to promise to keep this a secret okay?"

"Keep what a secret?"

I sighed once again, trying to summon come courage. "Claire, that 'Jay' guy is -"

"Claire!" it sounded a lot like Steve. I groaned inwardly.

"Tell me in a minute, okay?" Claire winked to me and turned around. "I'm gonna go see what he wants - if you want to stay here it's up to you but I promise I'll be right back okay?"

I nodded. I really didn't want to follow her - not while Steve was coming because I just had a nagging feeling that Jake was nearby. Hard to explain why but I just did.

As soon as she turned the corner, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned instantly to see a young man with a bottle of what looked like gin. He was battered up and looked drunk, so drunk that he could barely stand. He collapsed onto his backside against the wall of the building, slurring something unintelligible.

I approached him slowly, the air was so cold I was shivering so I hugged myself to keep warm. "Um, sir - are you alright?"

"Wha?" he drooled and I felt disgusted but if he needed help, I had a phone and was willing to get him some assistance.

"Are you okay?" asked again, more forcefully this time and I crouched down to look at him.

"Huh? Yea, yea, I'm just cranky." he wasn't making sense so I backed away from him a bit.

"I could offer you some help - if you like?"

"I'm fine, just - I lost my wallet."

"Where did you lose it?" I questioned him slowly to be sure he was serious and not just giving me drunken slurs.

"Around the place..." was all he said before he fell asleep.

I sighed. "I guess I could find your wallet for you - I've got nothing else to do..."

I paced around the area and found it in no time. I was in his pocket. Typical drunken antics I would assume. I was more than glad I didn't drink. When the time would come that I did, I hoped I wouldn't be as sloppy as that guy.

I looked to sky and admired the stars for a moment. Despite the unsafe environment, I felt an odd sense of calm then. Another chilly wind came and that peace was ruined when I heard the drunken man start to snore [he was now some feet away because I didn't want to be too close to him], I heard cheering and noise from the building, gun shots sounding off from somewhere in the distance and then the horrible smell of booze, sweat, and something I wasn't too familiar with.

I'd smelt it before - only once when Claire and I went to visit her brother Chris in the summer. He'd had his friend Jill over again and when we knocked on the door, the smell smacked us in the face.

The smell of sex.

I cringed at the memory and at that time determined that while it wasn't the safest environment and I was risking being caught, I would be safer inside than out here - exposed to the night with no one around to help me.

As I turned on my heels, I came around the corner of the building and instantly I collided face first into someone's hard chest.

I was frozen stiff - afraid but damn did this person feel warm. My first thought was that this person was going to kill me for bumping them. My second thought was I should run because this could be an attacker. My final thought was maybe this is Piers just trying to freak me out.

"V-Very funny Piers," I mumbled into the chest, I brought my hands up to travel inside of his open jacket to tickle him through his shirt like Sheva, Helena and I did earlier, but despite my fingers working along his hard abs, he didn't even chuckle.

But I did hear a hum - and I did smell something very spicy and masculine.

But Piers smells like something earthly._  
_

_So why is this smell so familiar?_

And since when was Piers so tall that my face only reached his chest?

_Oh shit..._

"You're not Piers..." I whispered, petrified as I just listened to the man's heart beat. It was slow and even - it would have soothed me but I was sure this man was about to be my downfall.

_It can't be. It can't be - he never saw me - right? He couldn't have, I stayed hidden! But he found me - he freaking found me! I'm in so much trouble..._

_No, no maybe it isn't him - maybe it's Carlos or David - oh God. Oh God..._

"You're a _naughty_ nanny, Sherry."

* * *

I shivered but I didn't move away. Instead, I gripped his jacket tighter and felt the bliss of being so close. I was honestly too scared to move but part of me enjoyed his smell and his warmth. I wondered would he hit me but rejected that thought. He's a gentleman - from what Mrs. Stephanie would say. He was a gentle man behind his tough exterior. He might yell at me though - definitely might glare at me like he did before in the kitchen when I confronted him a few weeks ago.

"Jake... please," I wanted to beg him for forgiveness. I was terrified because he was so still, like a statue.

"You always wonder off alone looking so _tasty_?" he asked me - his tone was so gentle, deep and husky, a chuckle escaped him and I almost melted. He was seducing me - probably intentional too.

_Pull away Sherry - pull away from the wolf's clutches - Now!_

But I couldn't.

Because now his strong hands were gripping my upper arms tightly, holding me there. His hands were so big they wrapped around my biceps. He could destroy me, but I preferred for him to love me.

"You know, the guys around here are always looking for a good time." his head rested on top of my now, his cheek against my hair. "They're like animals in these parts – dogs really, it's pathetic. They pretend to be loyal to their women at home, but whenever they hit the streets, they show what they really are – a bunch of mindless dogs without a leash. Ready to run around and hump anything that looks good." He pulled my upper body closer so that my chest pressed against his. It was a little painful so I gasped.

"Jake..." I whispered trying to gently push him away.

"I bet you like to have a good time, don't you _Sherry_?" he rubbed his nose in my hair and inhaled my scent.

"I... I don't know - N-No..." I said breathlessly, I felt like my mind was turning into mush. A cold wind swept across my legs and I shivered.

"Then why are you here, _naughty_ girl?" he released my arms slowly and his hands traveled upward until he encased both sides of my face in his palms. He forced me to look him in the eye – they were cerulean and lovely. "Hm? Tell me," he had a smirk on his face - a smoky and feral glaze in eyes, I shivered and brought my hands up to cover his. "Did my father send you here so you could get a glimpse of my playground?"

"Wh-what?" I was in disbelief, trembling now.

"You heard me," his voice was still gentle, smooth and he was calm - but he gave off that air of danger and I could feel myself falling against him as my legs gave out. "Did my dear old man promise you a bigger paycheck if you kept an eye on me, or are you just always a _naughty_ girl when no one's looking?"

"N-No, Jake - really... he didn't." I shivered as he leaned closer to my face. "Please believe me, I-"

"You're my father's servant - right?" he breathed out, studying every detail of my face. "Figures he'd want a pretty girl to do his dirty work. He's a dog too - no, no he's much more clever than a dog - he schemes and does as he pleases to get anything he wants and you're so clueless to his game." he shook his head.

"What do you mean, Jake?" I asked weakly.

"Don't worry, you're not the first to fall for his shit. A fox is tricky like that – they're much more cunning than dogs."

"Please, you have to believe me, I'm just here to have fun -"

"Fun? Of course you are - but you shouldn't mingle with _dogs_ to have fun, understand _naughty_ girl?"

I was utterly confused – Was he talking about drunken idiots being dogs? I would agree, but I was curious of his implications. "What's wrong with dogs, Jake?" I asked.

He chuckled and I blushed at him. "I'm talking about those drunken dogs, _Sherry_. They are pretenders - they're rotten, they don't know a damn thing about loyalty and they make me sick."

Was he upset that I offered to help that drunk guy? Wait - he saw that? I shivered again, wondering how he was able to move around and see me yet I had no idea he was watching.

_I did have a feeling he was nearby earlier... _Something was really odd about Jake suddenly. He was _different_.

"You should feel lucky, _naughty_ girl..."

He started to loosen his grip on me then, slowly but surely allowing me to sink to the concrete ground. He wouldn't drop me - no, he wasn't that type of guy. No, he was a gentleman but a wolf when provoked. He was a lover and a fighter. A man all his own - different from the others.

I touched on the ground only for barely a second before he pulled me up to my feet by my hands and admired me - that wild look was still in his eye.

"You should feel lucky that I am **not** a dog." his expression was unreadable.

"If you aren't a dog, then what are you, Jake?" I asked softly, but I already knew the answer.

He cocked his head to the side and smirked briefly, then straightened up and stuffed his hands into his pocket. "I'm something better…" he said and his eyes flashed once again.

_You're the big bad wolf. _

"By the way, contrary to popular belief," he said quietly, his eyes on me unwavering. "The wolf seeks only _one_ mate – and that's for life." he smiled, his eyes traveling up and down my body.

I stared at him in a daze, I knew what he was implying, but why he was telling me was a mystery.

I was so enchanted by him I failed to notice that Claire had arrived along with Piers, Sheva, Steve, and Helena.

"Sherry!" Claire fussed, gripping my hand. "What the hell's going on, didn't you hear me calling you?"

"I-I..." _She was calling me?_

Sheva laughed. "Cut her some slack, Claire." she pointed to Jake with her thumb, he was still staring at me... "Jay's here and he's one hell of a distraction."

Piers walked up to me, concern etched on his handsome face, right beside him was Helena, her face bored as always. "Sherry, are you okay? We were supposed to be attached by the hip remember? Buddies for the evening, Sherry! That means don't run off!" he sighed, I felt just terrible for making everyone worry.

"I'm really sorry everyone." I said and had to fight back the tears threatening to come. I glanced briefly at Jake to see if he was looking at me, he wasn't, he was looking everywhere but at me. "I'm truly sorry, I really didn't want to ruin a good night."

"It's alright, sweetie." Sheva hugged me. "Claire told us about your job -" I froze. "She said you have the early hours so we understand."

_What else did she tell you guys?_

"But, what about you two hosting the fights?" I asked Steve and Claire.

"Yeah, about that..." Steve said tiredly. "It's cancelled. We're done for the night."

"Why?" I asked.

"After Jay's fight everyone started getting crazy in there anyway," Claire said with a shrug. "When I came to get you things were fine, but when I came back people were fighting so Steve suggested we all should make a leave. You didn't ruin anything - the hellhounds did."

"Are you sure?" I pressed.

"Positive." Helena said, flatly.

"Thanks." I said, sending them all a smile. "That means a lot to me." It really felt good to know that they were all my friends. Even if I was one hell of a chore to deal with sometimes.

"No problem," Steve waved me off with a grin. "I just called my driver, he'll -"

"**Cops!**" someone shouted, and screams erupted from everywhere.

"Shit! Run!" Steve shouted and instantly grabbed Claire.

_C-Cops?! Oh my God!_

I was at a loss when the noise broke out - suddenly there were wails of terror all over the area. A second later, I felt someone grip my left hand tightly and yank me away.

* * *

Everyone was running around, screaming and shouting. I noticed it was Sheva who was pulling me away and I picked up my speed so I wouldn't drag her down. I looked around and saw Piers running beside Helena and David [they were a little ahead of Sheva and myself]. I guessed that David and Carlos must have joined us sometime when the chaos erupted. I could see Carlos running just behind Claire and Steve.

I looked around for Jake and couldn't find him. _Where is he? Oh no - was he...?_

I gasped as the sound of dogs barking came out of nowhere. They were close, very close. I felt Sheva tighten her grip on my hand.

"Sheva!" I cried, my heart was racing.

"I know!" she shouted back to me. "Just follow me, we'll make it!"

"Okay!"

She released my hand once we neared a wooden fence. Just over the fence was the backyard of an apartment complex. The place was junky and old molded clothes hung from a clothing line that I could see.

I saw Piers and Helena hop the fence without trouble. David was suddenly missing now and I also couldn't see Claire, Steve or Carlos anymore. I felt panic, I never felt so shaken in my entire life.

_They're okay Sherry, just worry about yourself for now - you have to get away! Stick with Sheva!_

Luckily I was able to hop the fence behind Sheva, albeit not as graceful as she did and we made a break for the back door of the apartment. She kicked it in effortlessly and we raced inside.

This place also looked like it was falling apart. It was apparently abandoned from what I took from it. There weren't any lights or anything, there was trash everywhere and graffiti writing along every wall. It was also much colder here and the smell of paint was powerful.

Sheva and I raced up flights of stairs until we reached maybe the third floor. She asked me to help her kick it in - and I did. I would have cheered at my ability to kick like a pro but I was much too scared at the moment. We raced inside the hallway that was revealed and kept running until we reached a window leading to a fire escape.

"We've got to go, Sherry - got it?!" Sheva told me, breaking the window and jumping out.

I followed her, thinking this was the reason why Steve said Sheva was a tough chick. She really was athletic, that's for sure.

As we climbed down the old fire escape, we could hear the dogs barking loudly but they weren't as close as before. Sheva broke into another building next to us by kicking out the glass to a first floor window. We landed inside an old messy kitchen, littered with old food and the smell of something molded. We raced out the kitchen and as we were about to break out the front door, the unthinkable happened.

The floor collapsed and Sheva fell through right in front of me.

My heart stopped. "Sheva!" I cried, stopping to look down the hole.

"I'm fine!" I heard her say. She didn't sound hurt much to my relief. "I'm used to this shit happening! Keep running Sherry! I'll be fine - just run until you can't hear the dogs anymore!"

The dogs were getting louder and I panicked. "But Sheva -"

"**Go**!" she demanded and I felt like crying but knew she was right - I had to go or I would be caught.

Hesitantly, I moved around the hole and pushed the front door open. I ran out into the front area of an old abandoned neighborhood and kept running into the quiet and dark night.

I had no idea where I was going but I knew I had to get away. I was praying that I would make it through this and see everyone again – everyone was going to be okay.

I hoped.

* * *

I had lost my energy shortly after Sheva and I split. I was exhausted. I held my purse close to my body [I'd worn my over the shoulder purse instead of my handheld - good for me.] as I crouched down behind an old run down warehouse. It was quiet, I could only hear the wind whistling - I'd long lost the dogs somehow.

But I was alone in the dark.

I was cold, tired and scared. I didn't know where I was, I couldn't see much of anything in my surroundings. This was beyond dangerous. I could be attacked and no one would hear me scream.

I shivered, my teeth chattering as I remained there for a while. I had no idea what I was waiting for but I knew it was best if I didn't move. I told myself I would wait until someone called for me or rang my cell. Until then, I would sit there and pray.

I pulled out my phone for some light and saw it was a little after 4:30. I hadn't been running for too long. I sighed and waited as calmly as my shot nerves would let me.

Until I heard footsteps.

I froze.

I listened as they echoed along the brick walkways, they were slow - calm. I hugged myself, praying it wasn't the police. I couldn't stop myself from crying now, but I did so quietly.

_I'm sorry everyone... _I cried to myself. I was about to get caught - or worse, if it wasn't the police it was probably some crazed man that I couldn't defend myself against in my current condition.

As the steps got closer, I closed my eyes and just waited.

"There you are..."

My eyes shot open and I turned slowly to see my savior. He certainly wasn't a knight in shining armor but he came for me, he had searched for me and found me. I thought I was doomed but here I was saved by the wolf. He was my savior.

"Jake..." I breathed. "Is that really you?"

He smirked and walked up to me, his hands in his pants pockets. "Yea, who were you expecting?"

I was speechless, I just stared at him - I thought I was dreaming. "H-How did you find me?" I whispered, disbelieving.

He shrugged and came off a bit awkward for a moment. "Uh, does it _really_ matter? I found you and that's all there is to it." he extended his hand for me to take it. "Come on."

I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet. I was shaking from the cold while he looked so warm. I wanted to get close to him again. I wanted to hug him - kiss his cheek, offer myself to him. I was hysterically grateful to him then.

_My hero... My hero..._

"Why were you crying?" he asked, raising a brow at me.

I blushed. "Sorry," my voice was cracking. "I was worried about everyone..." I stepped towards him. "Where are they? Have you seen them?"

"Yeah, they're over by the bay waiting for us." he answered, turning away. When I didn't move he turned back to me. "You comin'?"

"Yes," I started to follow him. It was so dark, I made sure to keep close. "I'm glad you're safe, Jake."

"You shouldn't be here." he stated harshly, and I flinched under his tone. I studied him, his back was to me. "It's dangerous and you know it."

I frowned. "You shouldn't be here, either Jake! You could get hurt just as likely as I could!"

"You have no idea how wrong you are about that, _naughty_ girl." I blushed and was a bit taken aback by that but I was still fuming at him.

"I'm not weak, Jake." I said. "I made it this far - that should show you something about me."

"Hmph," he stopped and I crashed into his back with an '_Ouch_'. "It's not about being tough, weak or any shit like that. It's an ugly world out here. You shouldn't be exposed to this - you're not meant for it."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

He turned to me, his eyes smoky again. "You're too good for this kind of life. You're a _sweet_ girl." I felt hot again and he came closer, his hands enveloped my face just like before. "Don't cry anymore, alright? I'll get you home safely - _naughty_ nanny." he teased, then released me, walking ahead.

"Please, stop calling me that." I pouted, frustrated. "I'm not _naughty_. I haven't done anything _naughty_. I just got into a situation I was expecting - that's all."

"Sure, whatever you say… Nanny Lady."

Ironically, I preferred him calling me naughty girl over nanny lady.

* * *

When we met up with everyone else, I was beyond relieved to see they had all made it safely. Claire and Sheva suffocated me with hugs, Piers did too and Helena tried but Piers held her back, warning me of the peril it would bring.

We all stood there by the bay waiting patiently for Steve's ride. It was a limo and apparently he would be escorting all of us home.

The entire time, Jake made it seem as if I was no one to him but I did catch him staring at me from time to time. He never told them I was his nanny either.

_Maybe he doesn't want them to know I work for him. Why though? Could it be that he's embarrassed by it? Or maybe it's because he's just trying to keep it secret – he did mention keeping me safe. But who was he protecting me from? Moreover, what's he going to do when we have to be dropped off at the same location?_

"How'd you find her so fast, big guy?" I heard Helena ask and when I looked I saw her walk towards Jake and pat his shoulder a couple times.

"This is _my_ playground, Babe - remember?"

_Babe? _

My stomach twisted into knots once again. _Why did he call her 'Babe'? Is she his girlfriend? But I thought she liked girls - hell I thought she and Piers had something! _

I'd looked away briefly but when I searched for Piers I noticed Jake had his arm around her shoulder and she held it there, that blank face remained but she looked more comfortable.

I shook my head and faced the ground, hugging myself again but this time not because of the chilly breeze. I felt so emotional suddenly, frustrated beyond words and above all else embarrassed. Embarrassed because I thought for a moment that maybe he found me attractive.

_If Helena's his girlfriend than he of course he would be loyal to her and not try humping others I guess. I should respect that. I should respect that he's not unfaithful._

I sighed softly to myself. _At least that's what I'll tell myself. _Damn, I was so confused.

"So, Sherry," I heard Piers say, his face was glowing and I felt relieved by it like all of my insecurities were put on hold once again. "Did you have a good time tonight?" he grinned.

I smiled, fighting with everything I had not to start screaming. "Craziest. Night. Ever." I said and everyone started to laugh.

Piers put his arm around me and I leaned onto his shoulder.

"Easy Piers," I heard Helena say and he looked at her. I looked away, trying to hide behind Piers' body so I didn't have to see the 'happy couple'. "She's mine, Piers, remember?"

I blushed - It _really_ was hard to feel upset with her when she was flirting with me.

I slipped away from Piers then to see what Claire was up to. I needed cheering up and standing around Jake really wasn't helping me.

* * *

The limo showed up soon after I'd joined Steve, Sheva and Claire in conversation.

It was nice inside with black leather seats, plenty of floor space, sunroof and the seats were facing every which way. We all piled inside, Steve and Claire took seats closest to the driver [with their backs to him], David and Carlos were to the left, Helena, Piers and Jake sat on the right and I took a seat next to Sheva, we were at the back of the limo with Sheva nearest to the door.

I was thankful that Sheva pulled me to sit beside her, I knew she would keep my mind off my troubles. Everyone was chatting amongst each other with Carlos being especially loud and harassing David.

"This guy!" He laughed, pointing to the quiet man beside him. "Don't mind him, he's just missing his lady - ya know, the Asian schoolgirl!" everyone laughed.

David popped him in the back of the head. "Shut up, idiot."

"What's her name again, eh? Yuri? Koko?"

"It's _Yoko_, you dumb shit." David spat and I heard him growl.

Carlos cheesed at him. "So is it true, do Asian girls go all the way?"

David punched him out of his seat.

I shook my head at Carlos' antics and turned to Sheva. "You like him don't you?"

She blinked and looked confused at me but I could see her blush. "How - what makes you think that?"

"Because, you've been smiling at him the whole time." I had been observing her since we got in the limo.

She blushed. "Just a little, but don't tell him - he's an idiot." she whispered and I nodded with smile.

"I won't say I word. Trust me." she giggled just a little.

"Sherry!" I heard Claire call me and I looked at her, she waved playfully and picked up Steve's hand to do the same. His expression was of confusion and I was sure he thought she was strange.

I noticed Helena and Jake were looking at me too but as soon as I did, I gave Claire my full and undivided attention. "Claire!" I did the same thing as she did to Steve, but used Sheva's hand - making her grin at the contact.

"How are you?!" she shouted to me.

"I'm fine, why are you shouting?!" I replied with a laugh.

"Because I wish you and Sheva would come sit with Steve and me so we can talk!"

Sheva took my hand gleefully and pulled me with her, I was stumbling as the limo was still in motion. Carlos and David moved down a seat for Sheva to sit next to Steve and Carlos, and I inwardly groaned when I realized I would have to sit next to Helena to be near Claire. I was also going to close to Jake.

I was being so childish. _You're 22 years old for goodness sake! Get over it Sherry, just have fun and stop being extra! _

"May I sit?" I asked Helena timidly. She smirked and patted her lap. I let out a giggle and shook my head. "I can't do that..." I said meekly.

"Come on, I don't have a dick so it's not like I could hurt you." Everyone laughed at her but it just made my face heat up.

Just then the limo made a right turn and I fell helplessly onto Piers, Helena and unfortunately Jake too. My legs were on Piers, my head landed on Helena's thighs and my ass was on Jake's lap.

_Oh boy…_

"You okay?" Jake asked me, he looked concerned as he held one of my hands but something snapped in me and I yanked it away - surprising him and myself too.

_Stop it Sherry, you're making a scene. You're being childish. He's trying to help and you're being difficult because your feelings are hurt. It's time to be a woman Sherry - stop being a little girl. Come on, you can do it._

"Sorry - I'm... sorry about that, I lost my footing." I sighed and smiled to him. "Thanks - all three of you!" I giggled at my position and I wondered why no one had pushed me off. "I'm glad I landed safely!"

"You look cozy." Sheva joked. "I'm jealous!"

"Very funny!" I responded and tried to move.

"Hold her down!" Claire shouted and instantly all three that I'd fallen on held me in place.

Piers held my legs tightly, laughing at my shriek of surprise. Jake held me down with one hand on my tummy – surprisingly, this half-assed move held me the firmest in place.

Helena's hand held my neck much to my dismay.

"H-Helena, you really didn't have to hold her neck..." Claire added, her face was that of a person very disturbed.

Everyone laughed.

"I might fall asleep down here." I joked, proud of myself for finally relaxing despite my troubles.

"Careful," said Steve with a grin. "You're lying on Jay! Don't move too much!"

"Fuck you, Steve." Jake growled, I blushed, knowing full well what he meant by that.

It was then I realized my shirt and jacket had risen up exposing my stomach - my shorts also were higher than before, exposing my long legs even more - the fishnet tights made me feel like I looked close to a stripper at that moment - it was like I was ready to do a show over Jake's lap...

My face began to heat up so much I was sure I looked like a cherry.

I felt fingers on moving along my stomach and at first I was about to fuss at Piers until I noticed that Piers was having a conversation with David about something as they leaned out towards each other for privacy. I held my breath and looked at Jake - it _was _him.

His left hand was on my tummy and his right was under my upper back right where my bra hooked together. Every now and then I felt him play with my belly button. I had a slight 'innie', my stomach was pale as the rest of my skin, and I didn't have much muscle to it but it was flat.

I did have very soft skin - at least that's what Claire would say - so I wondered was that Jake's reason for suddenly running his fingers along my tummy. I made eye contact with him and he was very hard to read but he smirked and pinched my belly button.

I silently wondered why no one was noticing this. Not Piers [too busy talking to David], not Claire [too busy talking to Helena and Steve], not even that silly guy Sheva liked - Carlos [too busy talking to - surprise - Sheva]! I was sure he would notice anything for laughs.

Jake's fingers gave me tingles. He started using his thumb to caress around my belly button. I felt his fingers tickle my upper back even through the jacket and shirt. I kept my hands folded neatly over my chest but I felt like my scarf was suffocating me and my breasts felt much too heavy. Jake's touch was making me feel hot.

I was beyond confused again but I didn't want to dwell on anything anymore. I just wanted to enjoy the ride home.

Jake's hands on me never hurt much either.

* * *

A/N: One hell of a long chapter. Imagine if chapter 4 was combined with this one. Lord that would have been too much!

Sorry for the long wait. I had four different scenes planned for this chapter that I had to fight myself over. I was stuck trying to figure out which fit better. The chapter title also made my head hurt.

I almost called it Animal – then I thought about Hellhound, then Wolf, then Big Bad Wolf – finally I just said Vio stop stressing and name it before you lose your sanity. So I went with The Wolf's Playground because of the fact that Jake's the star of this chapter and he's giving Sherry so many mixed feelings.

How do you guys like Jake? This chapter kind of shows his darker side [like in the games when he fights and enjoys it] but the other side of him will show up slowly. The Wesker men start off showing the bad sides but they each have a story to tell - the future will give us that.

Just a heads up – I wanted to let the story tell itself but I want to point out that Helena's sexual orientation is ambiguous on purpose. It plays a key role in the future for her and Piers relationship.

So… how is everyone in the limo going to feel when Jake and Sherry have to get out at the same house? – If they do that is! [Big grin]

Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows! I appreciate them! I'll be sure to update when I can but I do have finals coming up fast so if the next chapter is a little late, that's why. [But hopefully it won't be because the next coming chapters are all my favorites]

Next chapter will have much more interaction between the two because they finally have something in common but their relationship still requires more development and understanding between them before anything can jump off.

Stay tuned and remember if you have any questions – feel free to ask. Also, let me know of any errors. I'll fix them immediately.

See ya around!

-Vio


	6. The Middle Ground

Chapter 6:

The Middle Ground

* * *

When I was dropped off at the Wesker home [Jake as well], there wasn't much shock - except on Claire and Piers part but by that time everyone else had been taken home. Apparently, Steve and Helena had already known I worked for Jake - he'd told Steve right before he'd come to find me in the abandoned area I had hidden in. Helena on the other hand confessed that she'd known even before that.

He told her the first day he met me.

Claire was shocked that I'd never told her but when I explained that I had tried to earlier and she accepted that. Piers on the other hand was stunned that I was a nanny - maid. He and Helena then went on a tangent about how lucky Jake was to have me.

Jake seemed to disagree.

For some reason he was firmly under the impression that I worked solely for his father - like I listened to him above everyone else.

True, he employed me and I obeyed his demands but what was with Jake [and formerly Mrs. Stephanie] assuming I worshipped the ground he walked on - or that I was under his wing all times of day?

If anything I was a servant to _Marlowe_, though I willingly tended to the little teddy bear.

I had tried to explain to Jake that I worked for everyone - not just one or two people in the home - but _everyone_.

He didn't seem to believe me and that really hurt. Things at that time had taken a gloomy turn until Steve and not surprisingly, Claire started making sex jokes about me being a kinky maid waiting for Jake's every command. Piers and Helena had started this earlier and joined in again for a very heated discussion.

There was so many ideas exchanged about it that when I got out of the limo with Jake, I was cherry faced again. He on the other hand had a frown - he seemed annoyed by the jokes.

He truly was one of the most moody men I'd ever encountered. One minute he was teasing me and being flirty - the next he was capricious and detached.

Once the limo left us alone, we entered the house and it was 5 in the morning. I was off for the day so I figured I would sleep until 10:00 [10:00am] and then start breakfast.

Before I could alert Mrs. Stephanie and Chambers of my arrival and breakfast plans, I asked Jake for his jacket so I could hang it in the front closet for him.

I was shocked when he pinned me to the wall with hands on either side of my head. His words were firm, his eyes cold, and he scared me - this time I didn't feel anything but animosity from him...

_"Not a word of any of this to my mother, Rebecca, or Marlowe - capiche?" _he'd said it so harshly, I couldn't speak. I only nodded.

As he walked away, I wondered did he hate me or something.

I was growing tired of the mixed signals and I was even more tired of stressing myself trying to figure things out. I just wished we could try and communicate on a steady basis. At least that way we could get to know each other, gain some understanding of one another's feelings and hopefully - just hopefully...

We could at least become _friends_.

* * *

I woke up at 10 and still felt exhausted. I could've really used the extra hours of sleep but even on my 'day off', I still had cooking and cleaning duties.

So, I got up that morning, showered, dressed and started breakfast like usual. I made Mrs. Stephanie and Chambers some pancakes and bacon, which I took up to their rooms on the fancy rolling tray Mr. Wesker had kept conveniently in the corner of the kitchen for me to utilize. It was a chore to get up the stairs but as Claire would call it - it was a labor of love...

After taking them breakfast, I returned downstairs and went to find Jake. I had to make sure he was hungry before I started making his plate [the food was already prepared] as sometimes he would up and leave without it and I would sit around contemplating throwing the good food away or eating it myself.

I couldn't afford to keep eating his food. I was afraid I would start gaining weight and being heavy with a young child running around wasn't good for me I imagined.

Jake had a room, in fact, besides Mr. Wesker, his room was the most beautiful in the home. That said, Jake never slept there - he always slept in the lounge it seemed - or he could very well have been sleeping down in the bar area [Mr. Wesker told me it was a lot more rooms down there but he kept the door locked to keep Marlowe from being exposed to alcoholic beverages. He also kept me out - as he said and I quote "A good nanny doesn't drink - there's no need for you to go down there, Miss Birkin.".].

I always wondered what it looked like down there but I was afraid Mr. Wesker would shout at me if I asked. Then again, it wasn't the only room in the home that Mr. Wesker kept locked. There were the double doors in the front area - across from the spiral staircase and he also kept his study locked when he wasn't home. I figured there must have been a pretty good reason he locked these doors - I wouldn't pry further, some people needed privacy.

The front room twin doors weren't always locked - unlike the basement and his study. However, the only ones who had the key to these areas were Jake and Mr. Wesker himself. I'd been through the area before, the first room was a large and formal dining room with a long table and plenty of seats. There was an air of old British royalty to it, old-fashioned animal head decorations hung above a fireplace, the room had a consistent color scheme of red and white and the floors were marble pattern.

If one were to keep going and pass through the dining room, there was a music room in the same vicinity. It was gorgeous with its many well-known art portraits, the pleasant window view and the large grand piano in the center. I had no clue who would play it but I wouldn't mind learning.

Past the music room was another hallway that led to four rooms, one was Jake's, the other was the one Mr. Wesker shared with Mrs. Stephanie before she became sick, there was another bathroom and the last door was to be Mar's once he got older. There was also a conservatory at the back of the house that was accessed through a set of thin almost plastic doors.

The Wesker home was more than just fancy - it was big. Very big. It seemed I would discover a new part to the house almost every day.

The only places I had yet to explore were the attic and the basement. I wanted to see the basement more than anything. I wasn't a drinker but I wouldn't have minded checking the bar out.

_He did say it's your day off and you're free to do whatever you like - as long as you clean up..._

With a sneaky grin, I opened the lounge door quietly, shutting it behind myself. Push came to shove, I would simply explain to anyone who questioned me that I was looking for Jake to ask about his breakfast and had to find him.

The door was unlocked and I confirming in my head that Jake was surely down there. Just as I was about open the door, it swung open and I fell forwards, crashing painfully against Jake's hard chest.

"Ow..." my voice came out muffled against his grey t-shirt.

"You lose something?" he asked, sarcastic too but his arms were around me. I felt my face heat up.

"Good morning, Jake." I greeted as I backed away from him, shaking off the tingles he'd given me. "I was coming to get you about breakfast. You hungry?"

"Starved." he grumbled out and with a gentle push to my back, he ushered me out of the lounge and towards the kitchen.

"Great! I'll make your plate." I was relieved. I wouldn't be gaining any extra carbs today. As I turned away to the kitchen's island center, I began to make his plate, my back was to him. "Please, have a seat - I'll have it done in a second."

I heard him move towards one of the couches in the living room area. "It's dark in here..." he noted, almost like he was displeased.

"I haven't opened the curtains yet, sorry." I brought him his plate. He wasn't sitting at the table like I'd hoped but it would have to do. "I could draw them now, if you like?"

He raised a brow to me. "Why does it matter to you?"

I rolled my eyes and placed my hands on my hips. "I work for you too, Jake - remember?"

He frowned. "You keep telling yourself that." he started to eat quietly.

I sighed and walked away, gripping the curtains draw-string in my hands and then I started to pull them open as I walked across the living room and all the way to the dining room area.

It was raining outside. It looked like we were in for another day full of showers. I stared out into the backyard, the leaves were really starting to fall from the trees now. They were all over and it looked very pretty.

"That didn't help much," Jake stated dryly. "One hell of a dark day."

"Great weather for sleeping, though." I said softly, more to myself than him but he heard me.

"Yeah, well your boss isn't here today - you may as well sleep the day away."

I sighed. "Just because Mr. Wesker isn't home doesn't mean I don't have responsibilities, Jake. I still have to take care of Mrs. Stephanie and you - this is an around the clock job - but I don't mind it. I like it even." I smiled.

"You mean you like the cash." I prayed for patience with him. He was so _enticing_ last night, today he was being a big fat jerk.

I just didn't get him. He was just so inconsistent, his personality was spontaneous but I wasn't so sure it was in the positive way. Usually, I appreciated unpredictable behavior - but Jake just made me feel uncomfortable. I didn't know how to talk to him, how to deal with him, or how to feel about him.

_What's wrong with you, Jake? Why are you suddenly being so mean?_

"You're being really mean, Jake." I whispered.

He was gazing at me and he shook his head. "No. I'm just telling it like I see it. You're in need of cash, so you work here. That simple."

"How do you know that I'm chasing money?" I pressed, I was losing my patience.

"You're not denying it."

_Shut up Jake. Shut up because I want to hit you right now. _"I'm not some money hungry wretch, Jake." I retorted, my voice cracked a bit. "Sure - I'm getting paid but I was hired because your little brother and I have a bond, we're _friends_ despite the age difference."

"Is that why you accepted the job or is that what you're telling yourself?" he asked me, casually - as if he were talking about the weather. I was taken aback by him. His demeanor was so much like his father's suddenly and that displeased me.

_But even Mr. Wesker's nicer to me than Jake's being right now. Sure, he's lackluster and not the friendliest person - but at least he never made assumptions about me. _

Flashbacks of Mrs. Stephanie accusing me of being a mistress struck me. Ironic, Mr. Wesker and Marlowe - two total opposites were the ones who didn't label me as anything - _except_ as the nanny and housekeeper - my _job_!

"You have no _right_ to make _assumptions_ about **me**." I spoke slowly but I was resolute. I meant it. He had no God given right to judge me.

_Especially not since he's made such reckless decisions! At least I give a damn and don't risk my life knowing I have family members who love me! He's lucky to even __**have**__ family who love him!_

I simply couldn't believe he was judging me so wickedly when he wasn't anything close to perfect. True, I didn't know his motives for fighting but he knew damn well as much as I did that he was putting himself in danger every single time he went to fight. I was sure that was how he got the scar on his cheek.

He stood up and approached me slowly - challenging me. "If my father didn't pony up the dough for you - you wouldn't be here. There's no way a girl like you would stick around cleaning and shit unless he promised you a large wad of cash."

I felt tears stinging my eyes. "How dare you?" I whispered, staring him dead in the eye. I was so hurt, I couldn't back away from him - I wasn't afraid of him then, I wanted to hit him so badly. "You don't even know me - if you did, you wouldn't dare accuse me of something so _immoral_!" I was crying now, I didn't care.

He was silent now, his eyes had widened a bit too. It was as if I'd punched him in the face. I wanted to hit him, just knock him out with my fist.

"How could you?" I asked, shaking uncontrollably. "_Why_ would you? What have I ever done to you to make you assume things about me?" I looked away, wiping my tears. I was so hurt. So hurt. "Here I was... thinking we were..."

_Maybe going to become friends... _

I really wasn't sure why I felt so emotional when it came to him. I had handled things so well with Mrs. Stephanie - but Jake did things to me. He took away my sense of calm every single time and seemed to replace it with something else. Some sort of feeling I wasn't familiar with.

I wanted to be around him and talk to him - to be close to him like Helena was, if not closer. I had never felt this way about anyone before.

I hated how he could break my walls down and get a reaction from me. I never liked drama, I wasn't good with heated situations. I liked to have security in my life because I didn't always have it.

Jake was everything I wasn't. We were total opposites - how on earth were we going to manage living among each other if we couldn't get along?

_The same way as before - he does his thing, I do mine._

Jake's expression wasn't easy for me to understand at that moment, he just gazed at me, his eyes full of many emotions. He reached for me, "Sherry..." I yanked his hand from my upper arm and backed away.

"N-No, please just don't." I shook my head at him. He looked like he felt remorse but I was just too conflicted to try and dwell on it. "I get it, okay? I-I get it that you don't trust me." I wiped away another tear.

He had no idea how much his words hurt me. One of the reasons I left my parents was because they were a bunch of rich, vain pricks! So he took it upon himself to be spiteful and conclusive about my motives - and he was utterly wrong at that! How dare he? How could he even say such a nasty thing about me? He didn't know me!

_He doesn't know me!_

_That's just it, Sherry. He doesn't know you..._

_Maybe he's trying to get to know you._

_Well if this is his way of trying to learn about me - he's got to do a lot better than make assumptions of me! _

My mind was in shambles, I was beyond confused.

I was so tired of people assuming I was a certain way. When I was in school, kids assumed I was some rich, nerdy girl that was spoiled and could get whatever I wanted. Mrs. Stephanie had assumed I was having relations with her husband. My parents assumed I would grow up to become just like them - they expected me to accept my life the way it was - lonely, friendless but wealthy.

They were wrong.

They all were wrong about me.

Now, Jake was assuming I was only here for the money.

Sure, I was still trying to save up to go to college but I honestly forgot all about that until I had received my paycheck from Mr. Wesker the other day. I had stored that money away for the later cause.

Money was necessary to live but I would be _damned_ if I was to be judged for having needs and getting a job.

After the night I'd just gone through with everyone, I had become more at peace with my own strength and character. I was one heck of a girl to make it through the things I'd been through and I refused to let anyone - including Jake - make me feel like I was wrong for trying to be the best person I could be over something as petty as _money_.

I was sticking with his family for personal reasons and it sure as hell didn't revolve around money.

_I wish I could tell him who I am - a girl who never gives up no matter what. I keep trying to do better and become better, I don't want to hold on to my past anymore, I want to let it go. _

_I won't stop until I've moved on. Until I've found peace within myself._

I felt awful for becoming such a train wreck suddenly. I told myself I would calm down, try to be more patient instead of getting so emotional.

I would be more lenient with him, let him see me for who I really was. Even though I was sure it would take a long, long time.

"Sherry, look I'm sorry, okay?" his tone was gentle, full of regret. I was still hurting, but I had to relax and give him a chance.

"It's okay, Jake." I breathed out. I took his empty plate from him and I sniffed choking up the rest of my tears, and then swiftly turned away, making my way for the kitchen to clean up the mess I'd made while making breakfast.

"You're mad at me." he said, following behind me.

I began to make a water to wash the dishes, all the while I started loading the ones that would fit into the dishwasher. "Jake, I just - I would _really_ appreciate it if you wouldn't label me without actually getting to know me." I turned to him. "That's something that's happened way too often in my life and I've never liked it - especially if the assumptions made about me are a complete contradiction to my character."

I returned to tidying up the kitchen then. He stood behind me for a moment then mumbled something. Shortly afterwards, he left the kitchen and disappeared into the lounge.

I hated it all at that moment. I hated that he didn't even ask me about myself. I hated that we had such a dispute. I hated that we didn't understand each other. I hated that we weren't getting along.

But most of all, I hated that he didn't trust me.

* * *

It was 16:00 [4:00pm] and I leaned lightly against the dryer in the laundry room. I was on my final load of clothing for the day, socks. All that was left was for me to retrieve them from the washing machine and then I would spread them out across the table center to dry. Usually, I would return the next day and fold them up once they had dried and distribute them to the owners.

I had been doing laundry since around noon. I washed all the bed sheets from each room and while they ran through the machines I would provide new ones for each bed. After the sheets were hung up to dry, I worked on the clothes, the socks were always my final load for the week.

I peeked out the small window above the dryer and noticed how dark it was getting outside. It was quite unnerving, it wasn't very late in the day - that meant the cause was surely a terrible storm to come.

The washing machine chimed it had completed its cycle and I removed the socks from it and then placed them onto the center table. I shut the washer's door with a small click and felt relieved to be done for the day.

The laundry room was very tiny and directly underneath the spiral stairs. It contained two sets of washing machines and dryers side by side and parallel to each other against the walls. Between the two was a nice sized table that I would use for folding [in this case socks]. It was a grey room, the only source of light came from a light bulb on the ceiling above the folding table. There was a pile of empty baskets in both corners around the entrance to the room. I had neatly folded and clean sheets in one basket - these were to be put in the closet with my cleaning supplies [but they were to be placed on the shelves closest to the top].

I bent over and scooped the basket of sheets into my arms. I exited the room, flicking off the light as I did and shutting the thin door behind me. Afterwards, the placed the sheets in their assigned location and dusted off my hands.

A job well done - for a girl on her day off.

I squealed to myself - I had made plans to try out the sauna in the bathroom and I was damn sure about to do it. I had been waiting for my moment and there couldn't have been a more perfect time.

Mrs. Chambers was upstairs with Mrs. Stephanie - both were enjoying a movie in Mrs. Stephanie's room. I couldn't quite remember the title but it sounded very dramatic.

Jake was also gone, he had left after lunch, he never told me where he was going but I didn't really want to dwell on it anyway. I wanted peace and quiet for once and finally I was about to get it.

I couldn't wait to just relax and light some candles for myself. I was going to chill - even if it killed me!

"_**Sherry**_!"

I froze. I was just passing the staircase when the sound of Mrs. Chambers voice echoed through the quiet and darkening house. I waited for a brief second - unsure if I had imagined it or not.

The call came again.

I bolted up the stairs, my heart pounding as I reached the top.

* * *

I raced into Mrs. Stephanie's room and I felt as if my heart were about to stop. Mrs. Stephanie was in the middle of a fit of coughs. She was gasping dramatically as Mrs. Chambers was nearby the bed. She was on the floor, shuffling through her large black bag, looking for something.

_Oh my God... Oh my God! _

"Hang in there, Stephanie!" she shouted, turning to me with panic all over her pretty face. "Sherry! Oh, thank God!"

"What's going on?!" I cried out, coming up to the frantic nurse.

"She had started choking on some food but I helped her cough it up." I noticed there was a discarded chicken bone on the edge of the bed. "I was looking for the _one_ thing I know could help but I felt her forehead and it seems there's a fever involved now!"

I looked back and forth between the two women, anxious to help. "What do you need me to do?"

"Grab some towels, a bowl of cold water, and hurry back in here okay?" she instructed and I was out the door in an instant.

I was only gone a moment and when I returned, Mrs. Stephanie's coughing had ceased but she was sweating and moaning as she laid on the bed. Mrs. Chambers was right beside her, dabbing her forehead with a piece of the blanket on her bed.

"Here!" I handed the bowl of water to her. I knew what the towels were for, so I placed the towels in the water before I came in.

"Thank you," Mrs. Chambers laid one of the cool towels over the ill woman's head and she groaned in response.

"Surely there's more we can do." I cried, shaking. She looked awful. She was in complete and utter misery, her eyes were closed and sweat caused her hair to cling to her face.

"Yes, there is..." Mrs. Chambers started and looked to me. "Sherry, I need you to do me another favor."

"Anything!" I assured.

"I would do it myself," she removed the towel and placed another there instead. "But I must stay here with her in case this gets worse... Sherry, please, I need you to call Jake and have him hurry. I hate to trouble him – but he'll surely come to help his mother. Tell him his mother needs him!"

_There's no way Jake can make it here in time to get her what she needs - whatever that may be... _"Please, what does she need? I can get it for her! There's a pharmacy down the street!"

"I really hate to put you through so much trouble." she explained. "Besides, there's a storm coming - you could get caught in it!"

"Please, don't worry about me!" I shouted. "I'll do whatever I can - just tell me."

"Miss Sherry - "

"Please!" I cried. "There's no way Jake can make it here in time! I could get there and back before the storm gets bad - I know I can!"

She hesitated and after a moment she nodded to me and reached into her bag, took out a notepad and scribbled onto it. Beside her, Mrs. Stephanie gasped and her breathing was slowly evening. I shivered as she handed me the note.

"She has asthma, Sherry. Her problem may not be from her asthma but just in case - I need to have an inhaler here for her. Unfortunately, I don't have an extra inhaler on me." she looked upset with herself - I could tell she wished she had brought one with her. "Sherry, you're going to have to run to the pharmacy and retrieve one for me - you understand?"

"O-Okay!"

"Thank you, here's some money." she handed me a couple bills. "Just hand the pharmacist that note and they should know exactly which kind you're looking for."

I looked at the note and stuffed both it and the money into my jean pocket. "Okay, I'll go get it and be back soon!"

As I left the room, I saw Mrs. Chambers replace the towel once again and Mrs. Stephanie coughed once more. I said a quiet prayer that she would be okay until I returned.

I grabbed my green raincoat and boots from my room and raced out the front door. It was drizzling now, the skies were very dark and thunder rumbled. I would be racing through the coming storm to help her.

I said I would do anything for this family and I wasn't about to quit now - just because of a storm. No, I was going to see this through.

I wouldn't give up, I just couldn't.

* * *

I'd retrieved the inhaler and was on my way back. The storm was vicious now. I hid the bag containing the medicine inside of my coat and shrieked as a powerful wind blew, tossing me into someone's parked car. I felt embarrassed when the alarm was set off and jogged quickly out of sight.

As a violent downpour started, I consistently ducked and hid behind anything I could to avoid getting hurt. I felt like an idiot. It didn't matter how tough I was, it didn't mean I was invincible - my willpower wouldn't allow me to beat a storm.

Just like Jake has said yesterday...

_**"You shouldn't be here." **__Maybe I shouldn't be... _

_**"It's dangerous and you know it." **__Yeah well, someone has to help her..._

_**"It's not about being tough, weak or any shit like that. It's an ugly world out here." **_

_He was right... By God he was right. _

I was being reckless too. I was being reckless by assuming I could do anything - even fight a damn storm.

_I'm really no different than he is._

I felt tears come to my eyes. Here I was, alone once again - this time I was trapped in a storm. I was only gone for eight minutes since I'd run to the pharmacy but I was taking way too long trying to get back.

This was crazy.

I felt awful.

I should have called Jake. I should have trusted him to come for his mother. I should have _trusted_ him.

My eyes widened... _Oh my God... I really __**am**__ no different than he is! He doesn't trust me... and I... I don't trust him..._

This realization hit me hard. I was being judgmental of Jake – I was thinking of him as some sort of selfish jerk and that was definitely out of his character. This man took care of Marlowe before I came around. He also is the same man who brought flowers and spent time with his ailing mother.

Of course he would have come for his mother – he loves her. Mrs. Stephanie told me that before – he was a nice guy behind that tough persona. Just because I hadn't seen much of the nicer side of him didn't mean he wasn't a great person.

I was judging and making assumptions about him just like he'd done me. I was no different than he was. I wanted to get to know him, but things never seemed to work. I just didn't know how to talk to him – what to say to him.

_I don't know him. I haven't given myself a chance to get to know him._

I felt miserable. Here I was - because of my distrust of him, I had put not only my own safety in jeopardy but I had also put Mrs. Stephanie's life on the line. She was counting on me and I was about to fail because I couldn't bring myself to trust her son.

The wind howled and blew me once again. I hit a wall and cried out in pain. I kept stepping against the storm, I was maybe a couple minutes away from the house. I had to try. I had to. I wouldn't give up – I couldn't!

But I was scared.

_Last time I was alone and scared – Jake found me. He came for me. _How could I have forgotten?

He and I hadn't spoken since our dispute in the kitchen earlier in the day and at the time, I wasn't really up for talking to him. I was so unsure of myself when he was involved. I couldn't figure out why but something was drawing me to him in a manner that was totally foreign to me.

I just wasn't sure what I wanted from him or what he wanted from me.

_But now I… I know what I want. I think I truly understand now…_

I wanted his trust and I wanted to trust him. I wanted us to meet at some sort of middle ground. That would make me happy.

I screamed and I hugged another wall to get away from flying objects in the storm. "Oh no!" I wailed, and then made a break for some sort of cover and crouched down behind a building's sign. There were other people running now too. Everyone was anxious to get to safety.

_If I make it back, I owe everyone an apology. Mrs. Stephanie, Mrs. Chambers, and Jake. I just hope I make it back to the house in time to help Mrs. Stephanie – I can't bear the thought to being the cause of her… _

I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back tears again. "What can I do? What can I do?" I said over and over to myself. I clung to that sign for dear life. "God… this is all my fault… I'm so sorry everyone. I'm sorry…"

I knew I wasn't going to make it back in time.

"Sherry!" my eyes widened and I froze completely.

_No way... No freaking way... I'm dreaming - I'm dreaming!_

I listened again, waiting to see if I had imagined it. I didn't. The voice called out to me again – It was coming from the street.

There he was. It was Jake. In an all-black car, leaning out the window shouting to me.

"No way…" I whispered, lowered my head and shut my eyes again. I just couldn't believe it – there was no way he would find me in this storm… "No way…"

"Hang on – I'm coming!" I heard him shout to me.

I lifted my head and I watched unmoving as he got out of the car and raced up to me. I gasped, staring in disbelief as he pulled me against him for a moment.

_He's really here. Jake's here... _

"You alright?" he asked me, wiping my tears away gently. I was too stunned to even respond. "Don't cry anymore, I'll get you home, okay?" I eyed his scar and my head laid against his cheek as he carried me bridal style to the car.

_He must be my guardian angel. He has to be. I mean, what are the odds he would find me - twice now?_

His words were just like before when we walked through darkness to make our way to the bay yesterday - to Claire and the rest. Now we were about to same, though this time to get back to Mrs. Chambers and Mrs. Stephanie.

As he laid me on the passenger's seat, I watched him get in the driver's side and we made our way home. I felt myself smiling, truly smiling at him.

I was ready to meet him at the middle ground. I was ready to explore my feelings for him because suddenly –

I trusted him. I trusted him with every fiber of my being.

_Whenever I need help... he finds me._

He would do anything to keep me safe - I could feel it.

And I'd do anything for him - I hoped he could feel that.

"What were you doing out in the storm?" he asked his eyes flashing, he was angry, rightfully so. "Are you crazy? You trying to get killed?! What if I hadn't found you?!"

_But you did, thank you, Jake._

"J-Jake please - your mother -" I pulled out the inhaler and watched as his eyes widened.

* * *

Jake and I raced inside the house and up the stairs. We hadn't said anything to each other since I'd shown the inhaler.

We reached Mrs. Stephanie's room and practically forced it into Mrs. Chambers hands. She stopped us at the door and held her index finger up to her lips to silence our barrage of questions. She gestured us towards the stairs, away from the room.

"Shh," she whispered. "She's fine now."

"What the hell happened?" Jake demanded, he was furious.

Mrs. Chambers remained calm. "Jake, she's fine alright? She just had another attack - but she's fine now, she's calmed down and is simply sleeping."

"What exactly was wrong?" I asked, breathlessly.

"Well, she recovered shortly after you left, Sherry. Luckily it wasn't an asthma attack." Mrs. Chambers explained. "Remember when I told you she had started choking earlier - "

"Choking?!" Jake interrupted, concerned.

Mrs. Chamber's held up her hand. "We were eating some chicken Sherry had prepared. The movie we were watching took a dramatic turn and started some sort of reaction from her. She started choking - I helped her of course."

I saw Jake, relax the tension in his shoulders and I itched to put a hand on his shoulder but resisted. "So... what happened?" I asked.

"When she'd begun choking, she had panicked enough that it made her feel faint. That's why she was breathing unsteady and broke out in a cold sweat. Once she realized she was going to be alright, she slowly relaxed and told me she wanted to nap. I checked her over a couple times and then gave her the okay to rest."

I shed tears, of relief of course. She was alright, that was wonderful to know. "Thank God, thank God," I repeated over and over. "Is… this _normal_ for her?" I wondered.

"Yeah..." Jake answered, not looking at me. He faced the floor, his eyes were shut and he looked very upset. He and I both were soaking wet from the rain that fell outside - the fact that he was wet made him look all the more troubled.

_Come on, Sherry - don't be shy, comfort him. He needs the support._

I took in a deep breath and touched his hand, very gently. He looked at me, he was in pain - I could both see and feel it. I grasped his hand in mine and gave it a squeeze.

To my amazement, he squeezed back.

"Stephanie doesn't take well to stress," Mrs. Chambers explained with a sad sigh. "It weakens her to frightening levels. We all try our best to keep her without stress as much as possible."

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked, looking back and forth from her to Jake.

"You've done enough Sherry." she said with a sad smile. "I'm sorry for sending you out in this weather."

"No - please, I volunteered." I saw Jake's gaze on me and I felt tears threatening to come again. "I-I'm sorry. I wanted to help - but I have to admit it was very stupid of me. The storm outside was dangerous - I risked so much. In the event that I was unable to return... Mrs. Stephanie -"

"Sherry - "

"Please!" I cried, tears falling, I'd even begun to squeeze Jake's hand harder. "I should've called Jake like you asked - but I panicked. I tried to handle this on my own - like I always do. I always try to handle things myself and this time my persistence just put me in peril. I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." I was shaking. I was wet, cold and miserable.

"It's okay, Sherry. It's okay. You're one brave girl and I understand." Mrs. Chambers said. "Please, go get changed into something dry. You could get very sick." she cupped my face and smiled at me.

"O-Okay..." I whispered.

"You too Jake, you don't need a cold either."

I looked at Jake - he still hadn't released my hand and he'd never stopped observing me. He was hurting just like I was. I wanted to stay with him. I wanted him to stay with me.

"Come on, Jake." I spoke weakly. "I'll find us something to put on."

"Right." was all he said.

Mrs. Chambers gave us another warm smile, thanked us for our troubles and then left to look after Mrs. Stephanie again. Jake and I stood there for a moment, hand in hand, soaking the wooden floors beneath our feet.

I gave him a small tug and led him down the stairs, he followed behind me without issue.

* * *

We were very quiet around each other. I removed my raincoat but my clothes were still wet and clinging to me. I walked into the laundry room and found him a clean white t-shirt and a pair of sweats. He took them from me, thanking me softly and walked towards the bathroom.

"Jake," I whispered. He stopped. "I'll take your wet clothes and hang them to dry in here, okay?"

He nodded and walked in the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I removed my wet clothes in the laundry room, stood in just my bra and panties as I hung them to dry. I left out of the room and went into my own. I found a white robe with snow green clouds on it to put on until Jake was finished showering in the next room. I also needed one. I had rain water among other things all over me.

Fifteen minutes later Jake emerged from the bathroom, dry and smelling wonderfully of spices. He came to my door and knocked three times. When I opened the door, he handed me the wet clothes he'd worn. He was kind enough to put them onto a hanger for me to hook anywhere in the laundry room.

"Thank you, Jake." I took them from him and gave him a small smile. I walked into the laundry room for a moment to hang his clothes and mine up to dry. I would wash them in the morning.

"Did you need anything? I could... make you a snack or something." I said, meekly. I expected him to be angry with me for my foolishness earlier. I endangered his _mother_.

"I... ran you a bath water."

_...What? Did I just hear him right?_

"...What?"

"I ran _you_ a bath water." he said slower. I was shocked. "You... deserve one - don't you think?"

"Oh my God - Jake, you don't have to do anything for me - "

"I know... but you'll do anything for me, won't you?"

_So you __**can**__ feel it._

I was over the moon. I was stunned. He was being so kind, so considerate - I didn't know how to respond. I felt like I didn't deserve it.

He picked me up suddenly and carried me to the bathroom, despite my protests. I had my arms wrapped tightly around his neck, he was so tall...

"Jake!" I whined and he lowered me to the floor then. I looked at the tub full of hot water and bubbles and felt blush come to my face. "Jake, you really didn't have -"

"It's alright," he said dismissively. "Just get in, relax and enjoy. We can talk later." he turned to exit and I grabbed his hand instantly.

"Thank you, Jake." _For the bath, for saving me... for everything._

He smirked at me and tapped my nose with his index finger. "Don't sweat it - we'll talk later, okay?"

I nodded eagerly. "I won't take long."

"Take as long as you need." with that he left and shut the door behind him.

He was kind enough to light the small fireplace. It provided most of the light in the room - besides the fixtures over the sink.

I sighed blissfully and walked over to the tub. I stuck my index finger into the water and tested the temperature. It was perfect. I removed my robe, stepped in and felt myself unwind. It wasn't long after that I felt myself succumbing to exhaustion.

* * *

I had dosed off in the tub, for how long – I wasn't really sure but when I heard knocking at the door – I noticed something was off in the bathroom. It was strangely darker than I remembered. The fireplace was still lit but I noticed the sink lights were off.

"Nanny lady – you alright in there?" it was Jake at the door.

"I'm fine, why?" I answered, confused. I could have sworn he told me I could stay in as long as I liked…

"The storm just knocked the power out," he stated and the sudden absence of the fixture lights made sense. "Stay in there, I'm gonna go get check on my mom and Rebecca, then I'll bring you a candle, alright?"

"Okay, thanks!" I sank back down in the water and noticed I was close to pruning. I must have been in for a while…

A couple minutes passed and I stepped out of the bath, pulling the plug to let the water out. I had suds all over me and I needed to wash my hair. I figured I would jump in the shower for a couple minutes to get rid of the suds and rain in my hair.

Once I rinsed my strawberry shampoo from my hair, I was just about to step out when I noticed the fireplace was no longer lit and the room was completely dark. I couldn't see a thing.

"Jake!" I called out and heard footsteps approach the door.

"I'm here – uh, you dressed?"

I felt my face grow very hot. "N-No… the fire's out in here – I can't get to the robes - I can't see."

He was quiet for a long moment, finally he coughed. "Erm, I could bring this candle in there for ya – long as you don't mind me seeing you _naked_." his voice was deep and he was teasing me.

I gasped, embarrassed but quickly composed myself – he was not about to start flirting with me again! "If you could just stand inside the room – with your back turned, I could grab a robe and we can be on our way."

"Fine." I heard him say and the door opened.

I saw light from his candle come in and I blushed. He was right there. Right in front of the shower – I was at a loss now. There was no way he wouldn't see me naked, unless he really was kind enough to not look at me.

I slid the shower door open, peeking out before I exited. His back was to me, the candle was on the sink. Relieved, I thanked him quietly and covered myself with my arms. I noticed pile of clean towels were sitting along the side of the tub.

I needed to dry off but I was anxious to get out of Jake's vision. His back was still to me from what I could see but something about him being there just made me feel strange. I felt hot again too.

"How long does it take to get a robe on?"

I blushed. "I've almost got it." I headed towards the towels and to my dismay, I slipped on the robe I'd worn.

I cried out and shut my eyes waiting for my body to hit the floor.

I didn't. Instead, I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me and instantly I was crushed against a hard body I'd grown familiar with.

I was still naked.

_Oh my God… I'm going to die of embarrassment. _

I looked up and my eyes met his. His expression was unreadable as he observed my face. I was grateful he broke my fall, but I really didn't want to be so close to him without clothes on.

Especially not when I was feeling so hot.

_Gosh… his body feels so wonderful… _

I blushed and tried to pull away but his arms were firmly around me, he was crushing my chest against his. I wiggled against him, I wasn't sure why. I didn't want him to let go. I wanted him to hold me longer. I liked the feeling of his hard chest against my breasts.

_Bad Sherry, bad! _

"J-Jake…" I whimpered, he squeezed me tighter. "You're hurting me."

His eyes were smoky now, the candle light made him look just amazing. "You're so soft, _naughty_ girl…" his voice was gentle and husky like when he caught me outside the fight club. He wasn't teasing me though, he wasn't grinning – his expression was demure.

Why was he calling me that name again?

"J-Jake," I tried to pull away again. Something was wrong, I was feeling so oddly. I felt like rubbing against him and my legs were getting weak. "Jake please…"

"I know… just let me –" whatever he was about to say, he stopped himself and released me slowly, his gaze went to the ceiling. "I'll be outside." he turned swiftly and left, leaving the candle on the sink for me.

_What just happened – and why do I want him to come back and hold me?_

The craziest part about all of this was that I wanted to press against him again and I didn't want to do it dressed.

* * *

I walked into the kitchen, candle in hand. I'd put on a robe some time ago but I needed some time to cool off before I saw Jake again. I was so ready to do something I had never done before and I knew I needed to chill before I did something out of character.

I saw him on the couch in the living room area, the fireplace was lit and he had an old fashioned lantern sitting on the coffee table. He had one arm slung over the back of the couch, the other rested on his lap, he stared out at the storm through the tall glass windows.

"I could shut the curtains if you like." I said slowly. He turned to me as I approached and shook his head. "You sure?" he nodded.

I was relieved. I loved to watch the rain when someone was around me, but not so much when I was alone.

"Can I sit?" I asked when I was beside him. The couch was small but I was cold and wanted to get closer to him.

"Sure," he whispered. I sat down slowly, setting my candle on the table, then leaned back against the seat. I was both shocked and in a world of bliss when he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, bringing me closer to him.

He felt so warm, I sighed contently as I brought my knees up to my chest and leaned against him. "Thank you." I whispered.

"So," he started casually. "You always been so autonomous? You know, never wanting to ask for help?"

I sighed, it was time to start talking. He was interested – that meant he really wanted to learn about me. "I was a pretty lonely child. My parents were always too busy for me – more concerned with their money and jobs to even worry about me. Growing up, I was expected to handle all of my problems myself – so I did. I relied on no one and it didn't much anyway, I had no one to _rely_ on."

"You didn't have any friends?" he asked.

I laughed bitterly. "Not in the slightest. I was a loner, my parents always told me I was too good for others. I didn't think so, but I didn't have anyone to call a friend at the time so I just accepted my life the way it was. I was kept isolated and away from the world."

I sighed. "My life was that way for technically 18 years, so as a result it's not very easy for me to get close to others or rely on them – I don't really know how. Halfway through high school, I realized my parents would never provide me with the support I longed for. After I realized that, I started to talk to others more but no matter what, I've always been awkward with making friends."

"But, I did meet two very wonderful people – whom I trust and love without issue. Leon and Claire, the ones who saved me from loneliness. But even to this day, I'm not very comfortable leaning on them. I always feel like a burden if I do, even though they've told me over and over that I'm foolish to think that way."

"I'm just not used to people caring for me – I was always on my own, making my own decisions. I guess I'm still stuck in the mindset that I have to be strong for myself, like if I start to show weakness everyone will turn away from me – like my parents did. I still haven't gotten past that."

"What happened to your parents?" Jake asked, he was trembling and I wasn't sure why.

"I left the household after high school so I'm really not sure…"

"I'm… sorry." he breathed and I felt his arm tighten around my shoulder.

I smiled as he looked at me. I knew he finally understood why I was so upset earlier. "Don't be, my past is painful to deal with, but I didn't walk away from it with nothing." he shifted, listening but he seemed troubled, I gave his hand a squeeze. "It's okay, Jake. It's not like I made it easy for you to get to know me."

"That's because, well, it just seems like my father always has your attention." I sighed, he was being bitter again – jealous maybe? _But, why would he be?_

"Mr. Wesker's cold to me, Jake. Our daily interaction consists of him giving me an order and then he's on his way." I chuckled at how sad it sounded.

"I barely spend a minute with the man - even on weekends. He doesn't hold conversations with me, and he damn sure doesn't find me attractive," I noticed I really caught his attention then. I smiled at him. "Jake, your father doesn't even _compliment_ me - heh, he told me that I looked like a little boy on my first day!" I giggled.

"But I'm still here. I've stayed here a whole two weeks before he even mentioned a paycheck to me. Hell - I forgot I was supposed to be getting paid!" I laughed and I saw him offer me a small smile in return. "I'm just so grateful to come here, have experiences and actually get a job. After being locked away for so long, this is all like a dream sometimes." I felt tears come to my eyes – gosh, I hated getting so emotional.

"Jake, I don't care for the money. I'm much too attached to Marlowe. My goal was and still is to make him happy and do right by him. He's the reason I'm here. It's because of that little teddy bear that I have this job, this life... and he's also a reason why I smile."

"Because, you two are so much alike." he acknowledged and leaned his head back on the couch, eyes to the ceiling.

I leered him, grateful for his patience and understanding. "Yes, that's why."

Jake shook his head then exhaled dramatically. "Man, I'm such a jerk." he gave me a look of penitence. "Jeez, I'm sorry for making you cry earlier. It won't happen again."

"I'm sorry too." I admitted. "I'm sorry for not calling you about your mother – I'm sorry for being stupid -"

"You're not stupid and if you are, you're no more of an idiot than I am. I should have been here – don't blame yourself for everything. Especially, when you're not at fault."

"But Jake –"

"I mean it."

I nodded, defeated. "I also wanted to apologize for being so extra earlier, instead of just telling you about myself in the first place."

"I'm stubborn," he chuckled. "I wouldn't have listened much, I guess I needed to see for myself – how genuine you really are. I'm not home much to really to see the real you."

"I don't know much about you for the same reason. All I could ever want is just to get to know you."

He snorted. "No you don't, trust me. I'm one messed up dude."

"Can't be anymore messed up than I am." I challenged with a grin. "Come on, it couldn't hurt to be friends – right?"

"Us – _friends_? That's cute. What makes you think we could be friends?" he teased me and tried to look serious.

_Because we can be, stupid._

I giggled. "You don't like me, Jake?"

"I kind of do."

I poked his side. "Does this mean you like me enough to stop assuming I'm your dad's right wing woman and I'm plotting against you just for a paycheck?"

He smirked and shut his eyes. "Yeah, it does."

"Does this also mean you'll let me do my job and help you – serve you without the nasty attitude?"

"Only if you'll let me help you in return." we met eyes once again.

"How?" I asked, quietly.

"You go out of your way to help other people, yet you won't accept help. Tell you what, if you learn to trust me and let me help you – I won't question your morals ever again."

I nodded. "Okay, I guess this means we'll both have to trust each other."

"Yep." he smirked, and then laid his head back once more. I rested my head against his shoulder. "By the way," he started. "If you left your parents after high school, where did you go?"

"I stayed with my mentors and surrogate parents. Leon and Claire – they were the first people to actually show me that I didn't have to accept being lonely. They saved me from it and I'm so grateful to them that I just want to live up to their example – never giving up, no matter how grim things may seem." I smiled.

"Hm, wait - Claire's that redheaded girl Steve is love with, right?"

"Yeah, that's her but he –Steve loves her?" I was shocked. "They only met a couple weeks ago, how could he love her so quickly – how can you tell?

"I recognize emotions pretty easy, besides – he's so obvious. Then again, that Piers guy that you were so _cozy_ with is too." Jake snorted.

I poked him. "Leave Piers alone – he was close to me because he was my boyfriend for the evening."

The look on Jake's face was priceless. If I didn't know any better – I'd say he was jealous. "_Boyfriend?_"

I grinned. It was my turn to tease him. "Yep, until Helena showed up and stole him from me. It broke my heart but once she started flirting with me and Sheva and I got close – I guess you could say we became a _foursome_!" I laughed.

He pulled me into a headlock, I wasn't expecting that. He ruffled my hair with his fist. "I didn't know you liked chicks, _Supergirl_." he let me go and laughed at me.

_Supergirl? Another nickname?_

"Why are you calling me Supergirl?" I asked, curious.

"Because, you're truly something." I blushed, a big grin coming to my face. "You're just chuck full of surprises."

"I'm not that amazing." I mumbled.

"Hmph. Don't get me wrong, you're still **my** _naughty_ girl – but you're also my _sweet_ girl." he pinched my cheeks and I fought weakly against him. "I just packed everything into one. You're the whole package – you're _Supergirl_."

"You're crazy." I laughed. "Can I give you a nickname?"

"No."

"Jake!" I pouted.

"That's my job." he said solemnly. "Oh and by the way – you look _nothing_ like a boy." he looked me up and down. "You're quite supple, _nice_ **and** _supple_." he licked his lips.

I wanted to hug him but slap him all the same for looking at me like I was food. I was flattered that he found me attractive and relieved we were finally friends. I wasn't sure if he wanted anything serious with me, I told myself I would wait and see what the future offered. I wouldn't make any assumptions about Jake, he was pretty fun to be around – albeit a bully for being aggressive with me, knowing I was smaller than him.

Memories of what happened in the bathroom flooded my mind. I finally had Jake's trust but remembering what happened between us, I couldn't help but feel like I wasn't satisfied. I wanted something else, I wanted to be closer to Jake than anyone else.

_One step at a time, Sherry. One step at a time. _

_But just what is the next step for Jake and me…?_

I shook my head. I wouldn't worry about it. As long as he flirted like this and stayed around me, for the moment, I would be content.

Just then, the power came back on and the house was lit up once again with lights.

"Hmm, fun's over." Jake announced almost bored, and then hopped up from the couch. He put out the fires on both the lantern and candle. "Guess I'll go see what's on TV."

I watched him head for the lounge. "U-Um, wait!" He looked at me with a raised brow. "Mind if I come with you?"

He smirked. "Not at all, just make me a couple sandwiches and fetch me a soda first."

* * *

I waited anxiously at the door – my heart was coming home! Finally, he was coming home!

Jake was beside me, leaning against the wall. He sent me a couple of odd looks, I didn't care. I knew I looked like a loyal, doting wife awaiting her husband's return from war or something – but I didn't care. I hadn't seen Marlowe in a couple days. I missed my little headache and sunshine.

The door opened and there he was with Mr. Wesker. As soon as he saw me, he raced over and jumped into my arms. I hugged him up, until he saw Jake and abandoned me. I didn't mind, I thought his love for Jake was adorable.

While watching the two brothers exchange hugs, I didn't miss the glow that Mar had just because Jake was there. I wasn't sure if Jake noticed.

The events over the past few days woke me up in more ways than I could've ever imagined. In particular, I'd come to realize I couldn't handle everything on my own and there was nothing wrong with asking for help.

_I need Jake's help to keep Marlowe happy._

* * *

A/N: Longest. Chapter. Ever. [Should I have split it?]

Sorry I took so long with this chapter. I had to put one of my dogs to sleep over the weekend and I've been trying hard to cope with it. I'm feeling a bit better but I've still got finals and crap trying to stress me. [This is also why I haven't been responding to PM's these past couple days. I've been trying to give myself a chance to be a peace with it – I had the dog for 11 years, she was like a child ya know? I was 10 years old when I got her…]

I hope you guys/girls enjoyed the chap, this chapter and the next are focused on Jake and Sherry becoming more comfortable with each other. There's a lot going to be revealed next chapter. I hope you're ready to learn one of the secrets of the Wesker men! There are quite a few and now that Sherry is finally friends with Jake there's more to be revealed.

Sorry for the lack of romance too. They're going to have more moments soon but yeah, the development needs to happen first.

If you have any questions or concerns or notice any typos – feel free to let me know, I appreciate it.

See ya soon!

-Vio


	7. Escalation

Chapter 7:

Escalation

* * *

"Come on, Mar," I started gently, pointing to the dry erase board beside me, my marker tapped it twice as I gestured to the French word: _Jaune_. "What's this word mean?"

"Yellow." he answered with a confident grin and raised his hands to the ceiling in cheer.

"That's right!" I beamed, walking over to him and giving him a high-five with both hands. "Excellent! You're so good with colors!"

It was Tuesday and as per request from Mr. Wesker, I was going over colors, shapes, and greetings in French with Marlowe. We were upstairs in Mar's Study Room where I would teach him anything extra he needed to learn.

It was a small room with walls covered in motivational posters for children. There was a lengthy but low standing table in the center of the room, beneath it was a fluffy periwinkle colored rug. A small plastic chair was present for him to sit on. These were angled towards the right corner so he faced the dry erase board.

The dry erase board was angled in the right corner beside the room's window. It wasn't very tall either, to my torso to be exact and I would sit on a short stool beside it when I would teach him.

Across from his table and my board, there was a bookcase full of children's literature and coloring books as well as DVD's for Mar's enjoyment. A screen projector was on the ceiling above Mar's desk, it faced the window. Whenever I would display a short video for him to watch, I had to shut the window curtains and screen the movie on them.

The projector was Wi-Fi linked with the computer [on the wall beside my board], and I would insert dvd's into it or have Mar complete some online entertainment/learning programs.

Mar and I would have lots of fun in this room - despite it being for learning. I would complete some fun online games and tutorials with him. He enjoyed math related games while I would encourage him to help me with crossword puzzles. Mar is a pro with spotting things - in fact, he was _too_ good. He could solve a puzzle before I could even find two words. He completed them too easily - thus they bored him a bit.

Mar was quite intelligent for a three year old.

"Can we do some math?" he asked, innocently. "I want a challenge."

"Um, sure." I answered, standing up and stretching. I walked up to the board and erased the French lesson for the day - he'd finished it so if he wanted to do math I wouldn't stop him. "Okay, how about a couple quick-thinking games?"

"Math?"

"Yep." I grinned. "For example, I could ask you..." I tapped my chin with the now capped and closed marker in my hand. "How many planets are in the solar system and you would say..."

"There were nine but Pluto was removed because its size didn't meet the requirements of the other planets, therefore there are actually eight known."

_I didn't teach him that... did he learn that in school? _My mouth hung open in awe at his expertise.

"However," he continued calmly. "There are many different solar systems and galaxies so the amount of planets, suns and stars could quite possibly be infinite."

I stared at him, blinked twice and then... "Erm, Mar... how do you know that? Did someone teach you?"

He nodded with a grin. "Kinda, Jake told me about Pluto but I put the rest together based on facts."

I was taken aback by the kids' composure and vocabulary. I knew he was smart since I'd begun teaching him weeks ago, but he never ceased to amaze me. He always knew more than I figured a three year old should. Then again, Jake's help was a nice factor for his progress.

"Well, that's wonderful, sweetheart." I said finally. "Um, did you still want to play?" I asked slowly.

"Yep! Come on, I'm ready!" he shouted excitedly.

I smiled. "Okay, how many continents are there?"

"Seven." he answered with a smile.

"Very good! Um, how about - "

"There are 50 stars on the United States flag and 13 stripes."

_I guess there is a such thing as baby geniuses after all... _I tilted my head to the side at him. "Excellent! But... I wasn't going to ask that - what made you tell me?"

"I thought you were going to ask me that next because you said continents. It was either that or something about countries." he answered with a tiny shrug. "Oh yeah, _Puerta Rica _may be the 51st state if it ever decides allegiance."

I giggled. "It's _Puerto Rico_, Mar - but yes, it may if that ever happens - it's up to the future to tell." I frowned a bit in thought, I fancied I would test him a bit further... "Do you know why there are 13 stripes on the flag?"

"Jake said it's because of the original 13 colonies." he explained fiddling in his seat. He was getting restless because he was bored.

I wanted to ask Jake for his help with Marlowe but I figured the time would come when it would be a perfect moment for that. Until then, I had to remain focused on doing my best for him myself.

"That's right! Your big brother taught you well - and it's great that you remembered!" I recalled him forgetting the flower ingredients that Jake had told him. "Did you notice? Your memory is improving beautifully!"

He blushed and hopped off his chair. "I'm bored. I wanna play something now." he told me and raised his arms for me to carry him.

I picked him up and rested his weight on my hip. "Okay, well what do you want to play?"

"I wanna play - " he stopped and looked at the door. I followed his eyes and saw no one there but heard footsteps. "Rebecca's coming." he announced quietly. He had a poker face, I noticed he would do this quite often when he was either explaining or observing something.

"Mrs. Chambers?" I wondered aloud and just as I did, she entered the room with a smile.

_How did he know it was her coming?_

"Sherry," she greeted me with a smile and small wave. "Albert's looking for you downstairs – it sounded important."

I glanced back and forth between her and Marlowe. She waved excitedly to him and gave him a big grin, whispering _Hi_'s and _Hey sweetheart_'s. He grinned and waved back.

_Maybe I could leave him with her while I go check._

"Alright," I breathed. "Um, you mind looking after him for a moment?"

She grinned and took him eagerly. "Not a problem!" she hugged him tightly and kissed his hair. "Come on, Marlowe, let's go to the play room and stack some blocks."

"No." he pouted. "I wanna play space man!"

She looked at me, eyes wide and I giggled. "I'll be back, just stall him for a bit, okay?" she nodded.

I pinched his cheek quickly and exited the room. When I arrived to the stairs, I noticed Mr. Wesker was standing at the bottom waiting for me. I waved slowly - bashfully to him, I was a bit fearful he may have been angry with me.

"Mr. Wesker," I greeted coyly as I stood before him.

"Miss Birkin, I have a few tasks for you." he stated simply. "I will be having guests in exactly two hours. We will be discussing some important matters - if there are any calls for me, you are to take their information and I will return the calls at a later time."

I nodded. "Yes, sir. Do you need me to tidy up anything again?" I asked timidly. I had already cleaned the entire front room area as well as the kitchen, dining room, and living area.

"You've done enough of that this morning." he dismissed. "However, I do expect you and Marlowe to be dressed appropriately." I blushed, I was dressed in a long sleeve blue t-shirt and gray sweatpants - definitely not desirable attire in his opinion.

"Of course, sir - shall I alert Jake?"

He nodded solemnly. "Give him the same news. Also, prepare some refreshments." he looked to his watch. "You have 118 minutes now - I suggest you get started." with that, he turned away and walked towards his study.

* * *

I knocked on the basement door for the third time in a row. Mar was in my arms and he wasn't the lightest kid so this wasn't easy. After still hearing nothing, I kicked it this time, careful not to mess up the door. Finally, the door opened and Jake emerged, a towel around his neck and sweat glistening down his chest and forehead.

I shivered. _Marlowe's here - Mar's here - keep it together Sherry! _

"Jake!" Marlowe greeted happily and slipped from my arms to hug his brother's leg. Jake looked down to him with a grin and Mar scrunched up his face in disgust. "Ew! You're all sweaty!"

_He looks damn good too._

Jake laughed and ruffled Mar's blonde hair. "I was in the gym - sorry." he looked at me and smirked. "Hey there, Supergirl."

"...Hi." I breathed out and took a deep breath. I had to calm down, I was embarrassing myself. "Um, sorry - were you busy, Jake?"

"Just doing a little afternoon workout - what's up?" he dried the sweat off himself and I was disappointed. "You wanna hang or something?"

I blushed. "Too busy," I said and took Mar by the hand before he sneak past Jake and break for the basement stairs. "You could use a shower." I teased and poked his chest. "Your father has guests coming in about an hour, he wants you to look presentable."

He frowned and I flinched. "I don't want to meet those tight asses - why should I?"

I smacked his chest gently and gestured to Mar [he was looking up at the both of us curiously]. "Language - and Jake please, I'm sure they won't be here long and then you can go back to your workout." I pleaded softly.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying hello, then I'm out."

I smiled. "Thank you, Jake. I'm gonna go change Mar and freshen up a bit myself. See you in a bit." I rubbed his shoulder gently and hid my blush by turning to leave.

"By Jake!" Marlowe said cutely and walked beside me, hand hooked in mine.

"See ya kiddo - by the way... Supergirl?" I stopped moving to listen to him. "You gonna wear a skirt?" he asked and I looked back at him with my brow raised. He chuckled darkly, folded his arms across his muscular chest. "You know why."

I gasped, my face heating up. "Jake!" I said disbelievingly, picked up Mar and left the room swiftly.

I heard him laughing loudly and regretted considering actually wearing a skirt for him.

_Stupid Jake!_

* * *

I was in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. I had just finished up making a couple plates of deviled eggs and setting them in the freezer for cooling. Marlowe was in his high chair [ I had moved it into the kitchen so I could watch him], watching interested as I finished up.

"I want one." he stated quietly.

I smiled at him - he looked so cute. I had dressed him in a forest green sweater vest to go on top of a long sleeve white polo shirt, on his bottom he wore a pair of black slacks.

I didn't want him to get dirty by feeding him anything after I dressed him - besides, I'd given him a snack earlier [tuna and crackers - his favorite], before I dressed him. I didn't want to have to change him, not after I had managed to make us match.

I kissed his cheek and smiled. "You're not even hungry, Mar." he frowned and I laughed. "Tell you what, if you remember to be on your best behavior while your daddy's friends are here - I'll see what I can do."

He nodded happily and I helped him out of the high chair. It was time to go meet the guests and I was nervous - for Mar's sake and my own.

I wore the same colors as he did though I wore a fitted dress. It was made of some sort of thin stretchy sweater material - long sleeved and had a turtle-neck. It was mostly black but it had the same color of green as his vest did in the designs on it. The dress wasn't short but it did show a great amount of my legs and it hugged my curves very nicely. I wanted to look as much like a lady as possible to not upset Mr. Wesker.

And also to impress Jake but I would never admit that to him.

To make sure I didn't look inappropriate, I asked Mrs. Chambers to look me over first and she told me I looked gorgeous. She and I both agreed that it couldn't hurt to put on a pair of sheer black stockings over my legs - so I did. To finish off the look, I put on a pair of short heel black boots that reached my calves and tied in the front.

I brushed my hair down as best as I could - which resulted in me brushing my bangs away from my face and pulling them into clips on either side of my face.

I thought I looked pretty. I hoped I looked decent enough for the guests.

* * *

When I walked out into the front area, the first thing I noticed was that there were only two guests present - both taking turns shaking Mr. Wesker's hand.

A male and female, the male was tall, though not as tall as Mr. Wesker. He was an older man, with brown hair, a goatee and his eyes were quite scary. The female was also tall, though not as tall the male. She was beautiful with smoky eyes, glossy black hair and rounded curves. She was dressed rather revealing for the autumn weather and I felt more at ease with my own attire because of it.

As I approached, they all eyed me and my nerves kicked in. Marlowe held my hand tightly as we closed in and I squeezed his to give him some comfort. I smiled at them as sweetly as I could, hoping they would all stop making me shake.

_They're all so intimidating... _

I felt relief wash over me when Mr. Wesker smiled to us. "Ah, Miss Birkin, just in time."

I blushed and gave Marlowe's hand to him. Mr. Wesker picked him up with one arm and held him effortlessly. "Derek, Excella - this is my youngest son, Marlowe."

"Hey there, little guy." the woman [Excella] greeted Mar silkily. She had a heavy accent I couldn't place.

Marlowe was being shy and hid in his father's chest - so cute. Mr. Wesker shook his head. "Marlowe, be courteous to my guests - you wouldn't want to upset me, would you?"

Mar shook his head and pulled away. "Hi..." he mumbled to her meekly. Ms. Excella chuckled in response.

"Cute." [Derek] stated, his eyes traveled to me and I blushed. "Wow, what a beauty. What's your name, kitten?" his voice was so deep but raspy and I hated his eyes – he was so creepy.

I looked at Mr. Wesker and he shot me a hard look behind his glasses. "Um, my name's Sherry Birkin." I fidgeted where I stood. "I'm Marlowe's Nanny as well as the housekeeper."

"Miss Birkin, these are my guests, Excella Gionne and Derek _C_. Simmons." Mr. Wesker announced, putting emphasis on the 'C' for some reason.

I nodded to them each. "It's nice to meet you both - please, if you need anything do not hesitate to let me know." I smiled, I was doing pretty well.

"Ah, so she's the mistress to the manor." Ms. Excella observed me skeptically and I bit my lip. "She is quite cute. Perfect for your son, I suppose."

_Yes. Yes I am._

I blushed. "Um, Jake's my boss as well, ma'am. I could never try and compromise that." This was a fact, even though I wanted him more than I should have.

Mr. Simmons chuckled lightly. "She's more than cute, Excella - she's a slice of _heaven_." he looked me up and down and it made me very uncomfortable. I could handle Jake doing that - but definitely not this creep.

"Derek, I'd appreciate it if you didn't eye Miss Birkin like food." I wanted to hug Mr. Wesker. "She is my son's caretaker - not a whore."

"What's a _whore _daddy?" I almost burst into a fit of laughter at Mr. Wesker's expression to Mar's question.

"You'll know when you're older." Mr. Simmons said and turned towards me again - his eyes widened and I faced the floor, fearful he was still going to be aggressive.

"Jake!" I jumped a little when Marlowe beamed his brother's name in my direction. I turned around and saw Jake approaching.

To say my jaw dropped would be an understatement.

He wore light blue button down shirt and black slacks. The top three buttons on his shirt weren't fastened and his sleeves were folded up to his elbows. On his right wrist he had a very stylish silver watch.

I could smell that deliciously spicy cologne of his before he got near me. My legs felt weak and I almost sighed amorously but held it in.

"Ah, my son - you remember Excella, _Derek_." Mr. Wesker smiled to Jake and I found it odd. It was almost as if he was proud to have him as a son - I felt touched by this display of family love.

Jake raised a brow at Ms. Excella. "You…Oh yeah, you're the evil chick who tried to get me to set me up with that _bitch_."

_You and your women, Jake Wesker…_

Ms. Excella smirked. "She was not. You just couldn't handle her."

"Oh, I could - but I've got a _type_ and she definitely wasn't it."

I stood quietly, listening to this discussion and felt nervous again. I hoped they were joking, we really couldn't afford any type of disorder or fighting. Feeling something touch my leg, I looked down and saw Mar looking up to me, worried. His concern brought a smile to my face and I took his hand - giving it a squeeze. He grinned brightly and spread his arms - he wanted a hug and I crouched down to give him one.

"Isn't that cute." Mr. Simmons spoke over Jake and Ms. Excella's bickering. They both stopped and then observed Mar and I. "You two stressed out the _kitten_ with your arguing and little Marlowe went to comfort her."

I smiled and stood up, taking Mar's hand. _I always have you - don't I teddy bear? _

I saw a fire come to Jake's eyes as he observed Mr. Simmons. He looked ready to murder him. I wondered why but said nothing.

Mr. Simmons smirked. "What's the matter, _Jake_? You don't have any manners – don't you know how to be respectful to your father's guests?"

Jake snarled and I approached him. "Jake... are you okay?" I whispered, I glanced to Mr. Wesker, hoping for help.

Mr. Wesker eyed me for a moment and then Jake. "Jake, settle down. Excella, Derek - please have a seat."

He gestured to the couches nearby and everyone went to sit, except myself and Mar. I was relieved Jake wasn't acting out against his father, he seemed like he wanted to though - sending him glares whenever their gaze met.

Ms. Excella sat next to Mr. Wesker - very closely I might add. I didn't want to stare too long but I found this odd, the man was married so what was she doing? Much to my surprise, Mr. Simmons sat beside Jake [this obviously pissed him off too] and despite Mr. Wesker's request for him to stop gawking at me, he continued.

"I... I'll go get some snacks." I said. "I hope everyone here is okay with deviled eggs?"

Mr. Wesker smiled to me. "That is an excellent choice, Miss Birkin." Mr. Simmons and Ms. Excella nodded in approval, Jake said nothing - he didn't even look at me.

_Must be more uncomfortable with this than I imagined. _

I smiled and turned away, bringing Mar with me. We made our way into the kitchen and I could hear a discussion still going on but couldn't make out the subject. Mar trotted alongside me quietly, just looking around, chewing on his shirt.

I was honored he felt safe with me. We shared a very tight bond.

Opening the freezer, I was relieved the eggs had chilled but weren't frozen over. I knew if I had stuck them in the refrigerator they wouldn't have cooled enough and I was sure no one liked them hot. I took out the two large circular platters and sat them on the kitchen counter.

"I want one, Nanny Bear!" Marlowe whined, sticking out his bottom lip.

I smiled to him wearily. "Okay, okay - patience sweetheart."

I picked up the two platters and had one in each hand, open palmed under the bottom to keep them balanced. I had decorated the plates with the eggs in the center, surrounded by small bite sandwiches and some fruits. I thought my decors were always cute. I would always make hearts or smiley faces for Mar's foods, but Mr. Wesker's I kept organized. I wanted my present to the guests to be orderly as well as pleasing to the eye.

As I approached, all eyes were on me. I arrived to the coffee table and sat each platter down slowly and carefully. I smiled the entire time - doing my best to be on my A-game to prove to Mr. Wesker I loved my job, truly loved it.

"Here you are," I chimed. "I hope you enjoy - oh, would anyone like something to drink? I can make tea." I was in Britain - surely tea was more than just appropriate.

"This is quite impressive_, kitten._" Mr. Simmons breathed. "It looks delightful. Albert, where did you find this _heavenly nymph_?"

I blushed and giggled awkwardly, I was really ready to tell this creep to go to hell but I would keep calm – for everyone else's sake. Mr. Wesker sent me an approving nod. "Marlowe found her." he said simply. "He knew the moment he met her that she was to be his caregiver."

"Brilliant child." he gave Marlowe a smile and the little guy shifted closer to me as a result, obviously he didn't like this guy either.

_Don't worry Mar, if he makes you cry, I'll kick him in his chin._

Jake quietly observed the food I'd laid out, he looked quite upset - the time around his father must have really been getting to him. I was starting to feel guilty - if I hadn't mentioned him to Mr. Wesker, maybe he wouldn't have had to attend.

Ms. Excella eyed the snacks for moment, frowned a bit and then reached for an egg. Her eyes lit up as she tasted it. "My, my Albert, the little mistress is very talented - you simply must taste one."

I held my breath as everyone reached then and took a bite.

"Albert, I'm serious now," Mr. Simmons started. "Let me take her off your hands, she's just too perfect for words."

"No, her cooking is privilege for my family - right Jake?" Mr. Wesker spoke firmly.

Jake ignored him and swallowed another egg whole, then another, and another. We all laughed - except Mr. Wesker of course [who was as usual, emotionally controlled and more like a robot than a human being]. The other non-laugher was Mar who was too busy trying to get his little fingers on an egg. I almost gave him one but Jake beat me to the punch.

I was ecstatic that they enjoyed my cooking - it was very satisfying to see Ms. Excella and Mr. Simmons [even Mr. Wesker] pleasantly tasting the food. I was very much used to Jake and Marlowe destroying the meals I prepared, so their caveman mannerisms didn't surprise me. However, this was my first time preparing food for guests and I was beyond pleased at their reactions to the food.

I figured I would go get them some tea then and made a leave for the kitchen once more.

"Excuse me, _sweetheart_," Mr. Simmons called to me. "Do you have any siblings? Preferably sisters that are as _capable_ as you are?"

I felt extremely uncomfortable with his choice of words. I shook my head. "No I - "

"Back off, _Simmons_." Jake snapped. "She's obviously not okay with your disgusting attempts to woo her. Now, do us all a goddamn favor and leave her alone." his eyes narrowed as he spoke.

_Thanks Jake - I appreciate it. _I smiled to him, discreetly mouthing a thank you.

Before Mr. Simmons could respond to him, Mr. Wesker intervened. "Yes, Derek - by all means, you and Excella have arrived to discuss business with my son and I, let's remain focused. Miss Birkin, prepare some tea - Marlowe, will you be going with Miss Birkin or staying here?"

Marlowe grasped the end of my dress. "I wanna stay with Nanny Bear."

I nodded to my solemn boss and made my leave once more, retreating to the kitchen to prepare some tea, Marlowe trailing behind as he promised, chewing on his shirt sleeve - a habit of his I was starting to notice.

* * *

The tea pot whistled loudly on the stove as I retrieved four tea cups from the upper cabinets. I set them on the counter and turned the stove off. I filled the cups carefully and sat them onto matching saucers.

"Mar?" I called out. "What are you doing?"

"Looking out the window." he answered, I glanced over my shoulder and saw him at the glass in the dining area.

I sat the cups onto another circular platter and picked it up. "Come on, I've got to bring this to everyone."

He walked up to the edge of the counter and looked up at me with big eyes. "Jake's upset."

I blinked at him a few times, confused. "Do you know why?"

He shook his head. "But I think it's because he doesn't want that guy looking at you." he started prancing around me - making me nervous because I had hot tea in my hands. "I don't like him messing with you either."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he makes you sad," he stated.

True, Mr. Simmons made me uncomfortable, but I was willing to deal with it for a while longer. Surely he wouldn't be around for too much more.

"I'm sorry, Mar... I don't want to be such a jitter bug. Really, I don't." I sighed. "I want to stay calm and keep my smile but Mr. Simmons just makes me nervous. I'll try to keep my composure for now on - instead of so jumpy."

I glanced at the little blonde genius and he held that pensive mask like when he explained the planets to me. That behavior was starting to unnerve me - I wasn't so sure if it was 'normal' or not for a 3 year old - but I was well aware that no child was technically 'normal'. I would just have to brush it off and worry about it another time.

He grinned suddenly. "I love your smile, Bear." this glow was only for a moment as that soberness returned. "I don't like seeing you upset, Bear - and Jake doesn't either."

_Something's definitely odd about him. He's very intelligent, very empathetic to realize that Jake and I are upset but it could very much be that he's so close to us that he understands to a greater degree than the average person._

_Then again, there's his awareness of Mrs. Chambers before she even entered the room..._

_I'll talk to Claire about it. Maybe she can help me out with my concerns._

For the time being, I would put it aside and give everyone in the front their tea before it got cold.

* * *

I sat the tea on the table and smiled cheekily to everyone. Mr. Wesker nodded accordingly towards me, Ms. Excella gave me a grin and shifted closer to Mr. Wesker [who still seemed very unaware of her proximity], Mr. Simmons winked at me and Jake leaned back on the couch, folding his arms across his chest - he didn't even acknowledge me.

"Um, Mar and I will go now. If you need anything please call!" I smiled sheepishly and took Mar's hand as we jogged towards my room. "Come on, sweetheart - we'll go watch some cartoons and let the adults finish talking."

"Jake's really mad." I heard Mar say when we entered my room.

I nodded and sighed helplessly. _I just hope Jake won't explode in rage..._

An hour and a half of cartoons later, Mar and I lay on my bed. Marlowe had become quite irritable a while ago so I put him to sleep on the bed beside me. To keep myself busy, I'd begun texting Piers about just about everything.

The skies outside began to darken and I realized it was closing in on 15:00. With autumn in full now, it got dark pretty fast now. I fancied I would pay Mrs. Stephanie a little visit before starting dinner, while I was at it, I would check on the guests and see how they were doing.

Just as I crawled out of the bed, Marlowe woke up.

"Hi, sweetheart," I greeted him. "Sleep well?"

"Jake…" he mumbled softly.

"What?"

"Jake!" I heard Ms. Excella cry out.

I barely registered what was going on before I saw Mar run out of the room. I raced after him to see Jake and Mr. Simmons having a staring contest as Jake hovered over him where he sat. I saw that feral countenance return to Jake's eyes like when he fought underground.

"Jake, what's going on?" I asked, fearfully. I caught sight of Marlowe then, he was childishly reaching for the last egg on the table despite the tension around him. Forever hungry - he was.

"Her name is **Sherry**." Jake growled ignoring my question - his fierce gaze was solely on Mr. Simmons and everyone in the room watched silently. "No one told you to start nicknaming her, shit for brains."

"Nicknaming?" I wondered. _Who's nicknaming me? Mr. Simmons?_

"Now, now Jake." Mr. Wesker spoke and I hoped he would be able to ease the heated tension in the room.

"Stay out of this old man!" he roared, his eyes never leaving Mr. Simmons'. "She's not working at some **fucking** brothel, _Simmons_ - so stop **fucking** calling her a _kitten_!"

_Not that I like it but what's wrong with calling me kitten? _I bit my bottom lip nervously as I looked from Ms. Excella's amused expression to Mr. Wesker as he calmly came around the table to retrieve Marlowe. He lifted him gently from the table and ushered him towards me.

"What's your problem, Jake?" Mr. Simmons challenged, smoothly - a smirk on his face. "Just because she works for you doesn't mean you control her love life. Who says I can't flirt with her? Who says I can't hire her to - "

Jake snatched him up by his collar then and pushed him backwards - I gasped, grabbing Marlowe out of the way and into my arms as the older male stumbled ineptly to the floor in front of me.

"Jake! Stop it!" I cried out moving towards the front door - out of the way of the two men.

"Don't try me, asshole!" Jake threatened the man, ignoring me entirely. Mr. Simmons stood up slowly, dusting himself off. I could see the anger radiating off of him but he remained calm - most likely to further upset Jake.

"Jake, settle down this instant." Mr. Wesker demanded, moving towards him. "There are women in the room - show some respect - _chivalry_."

"I am!" Jake shouted. "But I'm not about to sit here listening to this fucker talk about her like she's some goddamn floozy! Bastard even has the nerve to sit right in front us and eye rape her!" he was trembling in rage now. He looked like a ferocious beast ready to tear Mr. Simmons to shreds.

Mr. Simmons straightened up his shirt and tie then brushed off his suit. "Wesker - it seems your son is - as always, an undignified and violent little _boy_ as always."

Jake almost lunged at him but Mr. Wesker blocked his advance. "Get out of the way! I'll fucking kill him!"

_Jake please... don't do this..._

"Jake, settle down - "

"Save it!" he snarled at his father. "Talking about Sherry like that. I don't like that shit. I **fight** people for that shit." he spat, threateningly.

He must have been talking about his fighting the guy Helena's sister dated. He was defending my honor like he'd done for her. Typical Jake, standing up for girls – he really was a gentleman but a wolf when provoked.

_He's a dream..._

_But this shouldn't be happening in front of Mar... he doesn't need to see this or hear Jake's foul mouth..._

"Jake." all eyes went to Marlowe. His face was sober as before while he nibbled calmly on a deviled egg. "You're upsetting Nanny Bear. You should stop." While he ate, his eyes never once left his snack.

The room was completely silent. I glanced around, everyone seemed to be waiting for Jake to relax. It took him a moment but finally he released a frustrated sigh. Jake remained quiet until he looked at me and Mar.

"Sorry little guy." Jake said, penitently.

"I'm fine, Jake - but Bear's not." he said as he looked up at me finally. He was cute as a button with his mouth covered by bits of egg, his eyes were big and concerned. His method of speaking was so robotic - it was just foreign. "Are you okay, Bear?"

I just noticed my face was wet from the tears streaming down my face. I had no idea I was crying. "Y-Yes..." I whimpered, wiping my tears away.

I was so confused by everything. Marlowe's behavior, Jake's rage, Mr. Simmons's constant flirting, Mr. Wesker's almost indifference to everything and Ms. Excella's amusement by the whole scene. It was all just so novel to me.

Most upsetting to me was that I couldn't understand why Marlowe could act like a child one moment, the next he was _different_. Worse of all, I felt I was the only one who thought it was strange.

"Thank you, Jake - Marlowe." Mr. Wesker finally spoke. "Excella, Derek - I believe we've covered _some_ of the matters that were necessary for now, perhaps you would be comfortable leaving now, my _family_ and I have some things to discuss." his tone darkened as he mentioned the family. He gestured to the front door.

Ms. Excella and Mr. Simmons followed him to the door and exited one by one. I surely didn't miss Ms. Excella wink at him. If he returned it, I wasn't sure.

For a moment it was entirely silent in the house. I stood with Mar in my arms. I was beyond nervous for Mr. Wesker's wrath. Jake had sat down on the couch, he was slouched over, his elbows on his knees as he faced the floor.

"Miss Birkin..." he started and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"S-Sir...?" I tightened my hold on Mar unintentionally but he didn't complain.

"Take Marlowe and go into the kitchen. I have to have a talk with my _oldest_ son." his focus shifted to Jake who said nothing in return, nor did he move. "After I finish talking to him, I expect Marlowe to come out here as well."

"Yes, of course, sir." I whispered quietly and hurriedly exited the room with Marlowe in my arms.

* * *

"I gotta go see my daddy, Bear, okay?" Marlowe spoke calmly to me. He patted my leg twice. I nodded quietly, I was leaning over the sink resting my heated face on the counter top. Cool things always soothed me when I was feeling antsy.

I heard his tiny footsteps leave the kitchen and I sighed, woefully. I just didn't understand why Jake had to get heated so easily. I asked him to do his best and be good for his father's guests and yet his rage emerged - and all because of some guy hitting on me.

_He's jealous._

_No way, Jake and I are friends. He was just defending my honor - even though I didn't need him to._

"Supergirl..."

Jake startled me but I didn't lift my head. _Why didn't I hear him enter? _I was tired. I felt that if I did lift my head the room would start spinning and I would collapse.

I wasn't angry with Jake, but I was disappointed. I told myself I would accept him for who he was because I hoped he would do the same for me. That said - his behavior wasn't acceptable. I needed to tell him that his actions - his temper caused distress among the people around him. He needed to be more conscious of Marlowe and his needs. His mouth was very filthy and needed cleaning.

_But is now a good time? No... I need to tell him the truth when he's willing to listen - like he told me before. Besides, maybe that's what Mr. Wesker wanted to tell him..._

"Supergirl?" I didn't lift my head, I just listened to him. "You okay?"

I shook my head. No, I was nowhere near okay. I was looking forward to impressing everyone and all I really wanted was peace - not jealousy induced chaos.

If jealousy was even a contributing factor.

This wasn't about me, I knew that because this was about Mr. Wesker's company that was treated very much unacceptable. But I blamed myself because I felt like it was my fault. I felt I didn't dress as conservative as necessary - maybe my clothes made me come across as a whore to Mr. Simmons.

If that were the case, if I had dressed differently, he wouldn't have flirted so much and maybe then Jake wouldn't have had to react the way he did.

I felt his hands on my hips and I shivered unwillingly. "I'm sorry - I just hated that asshole doing that to you."

"Doing what to me, Jake? Flirting?" I asked shakily. "You flirt with me - why is he so wrong?"

"Are you saying you liked it?" he snarled and his grip tightening, he was right behind me, not pressing against me but I was sure he wanted to but he held back.

"No..." I whined. "God, he was awful, in fact he made my skin crawl - but I didn't care because he was your father's guest. I didn't want to make a scene."

He didn't say anything so I continued. "I wanted to impress everyone today. I wanted to show my abilities. I just would have liked a nice peaceful day. It would have been wonderful - especially after all the mess we've been through these past few days."

"I know that... and I'm sorry." he spoke softly. "I just... I couldn't sit there like that, knowing what he was implying - knowing what he wants. The fact that my little brother was in the room while he did it pissed me off even more."

"...You heard what Mar asked your father, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did." he answered harshly. "My father picked a terrible word but I... guess I forgive him for at least sticking up for you - you're not a whore, Supergirl. You're a lady, a woman - an _amazing_ entity that deserves respect."

I was honored. _Thank you, Jake - you're always here to rescue me. _"But Jake, you have a foul mouth yourself mister. And you called that girl a..."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I know, I'll have to work on that..." his right hand moved and now traced my spine, giving me shivers. "But that _bitch_ was an actual dog."

I never felt so silly in my entire life. "A _dog_?"

"Exactly, a damn _poodle_. A manly guy like me - with a _poodle_? No thanks. I like them strong and not so _fancy_, ya know?"

I nodded. "That makes sense..." I sighed loudly, frustrated with myself. "I put a lot of thought into everything - for two hours' notice, I mean. I wanted to show I'm capable. It just feels like this is my fault."

"_What_? Why?"

"Because of my clothes." I answered. "Maybe if I had dressed differently he wouldn't have flirted with me - "

"_Shut up_." I gasped as his grip tightened. "You don't look like a slut. So don't start telling yourself that. You look... _lovely_." the softness in his voice made me swoon. "That piece of shit is always looking for a girl to put his filthy hands on. Fucking _scum of the earth_ – you have no idea just how awful he really is."

_Just how bad, Jake? _

"Besides, you don't have to work so hard, Supergirl." now my backside was pressed against his front and I choked a whimper. "You saw how impressed they were. They loved everything about you - even the evil chick did."

I sniffed and a giggle escaped me. "Her name is Excella, Jake."

"Whatever, Supergirl, listen to me - you're pretty awesome."

I turned my head so that I could look at him, but I kept leaned over [for his pleasure, not mine - at least that's what I would tell myself]. "Really - you really think I did well today?"

He smirked and leaned over, pressing harder against me. I liked it, he just felt wonderful whenever he was close to me. "You always impress **me**, _sweet_ girl - and I'll be damned if some asshole is going to try and have his way with you while I'm around." his lips closed in on my ear and I blushed hotly.

"You look so _lovely_ today..." he breathed, pushing me against the counter entirely, I stood straight now. His muscular arms wrapped around me tightly and I felt myself begin to melt. "You're too wonderful for that creep."

"Jake..." I whimpered. _I don't want this to end. Please just hold me for a while longer. _He was being sweet – instead of grinding against my backside like he could have, he wanted to hold me – comfort me. He was nothing like that _Simmons creep_. He cared about me and saw me as more than just a sex object.

_If only you and I could really get closer…_

"I'm sorry for making you - "

"Don't worry, Supergirl, it's okay. I'll do anything for you - and Marlowe."

_You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear you say that. _I smiled warmly and leaned my head back against his chest, my eyes slowly closed. He smelled so good and his body was so warm, the feeling of him was just so intoxicating.

"Sherry?"

"Hm?" I liked the sound of my name coming from him.

"I think you're gonna be in charge of my dad's Halloween party coming up."

* * *

"No way!" Claire beamed with a squeal. "That sounds like so much fun - I'd love to help!"

"I'd love to help you two out." Sheva said, taking another sip of her coffee. The whip crème on top got on her upper lip and she licked it off with a giggle.

"I wonder what Carlos would think if he saw you do that?" Claire teased her and Sheva smacked both of our arms as we laughed at her.

"Sorry, Sheva but you have to admit - that was a pretty good crack!" I choked out. She rolled her pretty eyes and looked out the window beside her. "Oh, but thanks so much you two. I think it will be pretty fun to come up with some fun foods and treats for the party."

"Definitely," Claire took a bite from her coffee cake and then a sip of her black coffee. She worked in offices a lot during her life so she was used to just adding a little sugar and drinking it without creamers. "We could buy some of those holiday shapes for cooking, buy some candy - "

"Buy some holiday crockery, too." I added, she nodded to me with enthusiasm.

I was so excited that Jake was right. Mr. Wesker was very pleased with my services that he asked me to make preparations for his upcoming Halloween gathering [as he called it - we all know it's called a _party_]. I was mostly responsible for the food and drinks but I wanted Claire's help because...

I was also going to be serving alcoholic beverages and I had never drank alcohol a day in my life.

I originally called just Claire but Sheva had called me afterwards by coincidence and said she wanted to spend some time together - I just couldn't say no to one of my favorite girls.

So, that Thursday, after dropping off Marlowe at school, I met Claire and Sheva at a café that was a bus trip away from the Wesker home. It was a small place with big glass windows, friendly service and moderate amounts of customers.

We planned to have some coffee and just chat for a bit because none of us could be out for too long. I had to pick up Marlowe at 14:00, Sheva had a date with Carlos around that time, and Claire had a meeting with some of her co-workers at TerraSave at 13:00.

"How about costumes?" Sheva asked. "Should we try to go for a theme here?"

I shook my head, taking a sip from my coffee [I had the same kind as Sheva but I put a straw in mine]. "My boss already asked my clothes size for that very reason."

Claire twitched. "Your clothes _size_? Creepy!"

"He's going to be buying my costume along with his sons!" I retorted with a laugh. "I didn't question his motives - but I do wish I'd had the chance to go costume shopping with Marlowe, I promised him we would so I don't know how to break it to him."

"Just explain that there was a change of action and that it was out of your control." Claire explained. "He may be upset for a while but as long as you can keep most of your other promises, I'm sure he'll forgive you."

"I sure hope so." I sighed.

"So," Sheva started with a grin. "_Two_ sons, eh? Is the other boy close to your age?"

Claire and I looked at each other. Sheva still didn't know I worked for Jake and I honestly wasn't sure if he wanted her to. I felt bad keeping the secret from her. I wanted Sheva to stop by the house too but I wouldn't be able to do that unless I asked Jake first.

"Well, um - he's a few years younger than I am," I explained, stirring my coffee with the straw. "We get along pretty well," _Make that very well with how close we can get. _"- But at the end of the day, he's my boss too so I try my hardest to keep that in mind."

"Sounds kinky." she giggled.

I blushed and Claire intercepted. "How's that coming along? Is he softening up to you yet or still kind of mean?"

"Much nicer now, we had a misunderstanding that last time but now we're working things out and trying to get used to each other. We're just so different that it isn't easy a lot of the time. He's easily angered and that's the one thing I wish he could work on - other than that, he's very fun to hang around."

Claire shot me a sneaky look and I knew what she was going to imply. "So... has he asked for favors from you yet?"

Sheva laughed. "If you offer the goods he'll surely take your services, _Nanny Sherry_."

"Stop it you two!" I flushed, embarrassed.

Our conversation switched from me to Claire as she talked about her and Steve hanging out more. I was shocked when she shared with us that she and Steve were thinking about taking a more serious step in their relationship. Claire told us that she was tired of dating guys that were so boring and lackluster - she found Steve to bring her excitement and what I thought was sweet was that she mentioned how much she appreciated his acceptance of who she was before and who she is now.

Steve seemed like a really cool type of guy. I liked how he was able to meet Claire on her level - I didn't know everything about their relationship but they seemed so comfortable and happy when together. I recalled how they stuck together throughout everything that happened the night of the underground fighting and police chase. They seemed like a nice fit.

Sheva also shared that she and Carlos were finally talking on a romantic level. They had known each other for almost six months and were close friends but she always felt attracted to him. Like Claire, Sheva loved that Carlos wasn't bothered by her former life of gang violence, he found her interesting because of it.

Carlos was a fun person - he and Sheva were similar. Carlos liked to make people laugh and Sheva was sweet enough to comfort me and stick by me while I was nervous. I imagined they would keep each other happy through everything.

So what about Jake and myself? I believed we fit very well and complimented each other but I really wasn't too sure why I bothered with the idea. I worked for his family. I could never disrespect the family by encouraging a relationship with him - and definitely not become intimate.

But gosh, I really wanted to. I wanted to be close to him and be his girl. He brought excitement to my life and while we had a rocky start, he was quite accepting of me. He held me when I was upset, he always came to my rescue and he actually did care about the people in his life behind that intimidating countenance.

I couldn't deny the fact that I was very fond of him. I just wanted to be with him…

I thought about him and Marlowe's reactions to my distress and then felt the need to ask Claire about something that had been bugging me for a while.

"Um, Claire?" she gave me her complete attention. "Is it normal for a 3 year old to sometimes come off as... detached?"

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Like, have moments when they are really cute, childish, _normal_ - then the next minute they can be... _different._"

"Well, give me an example, Sherry. You're being too vague."

"Whenever I'm upset, he's upset."

"That's normal." she said. "They're quite sensitive to the needs of others around them."

_That's a relief. _"Okay, well - he's really, really smart. Like super smart. He knew all the details of why Pluto's no longer a planet... but then again, his brother told him that..."

"No child is 'normal', Sherry. There's no such thing. Sure, you might have a little genius on your hands but be happy about that." she smiled, "It's got to be exciting to have a child that's wise beyond his years - just like any other person. He'll prosper and you'll be honored to even known him."

I nodded with a ghost of a smile. _Maybe I __**am**__ looking into this too much._ "You're probably right." I glanced at my watch and noticed it was closing in on the time for Claire's meeting. "Um, Claire?"

Her eyes widened and she glanced at her watch and jumped up, almost spilling her coffee. "Shit, shit, shit! I've gotta go!" she grabbed all of her things and shouted for the waitress to bring her tab.

"I'd better get going too." Sheva said, gathering her things as well. "Have to get home and freshen up for Carlos." she grinned.

"Alright ladies," I started, following their example. "I'll give you both a call this weekend sometime and we can meet up at someone's house for some food and drink preps."

"My place is fine." Claire stated, leaving a tip on the table. "Well, gotta go!" she hugged us both. "Love you girls, be careful and I'll call you later."

"Love you too." Sheva and I chorused.

We each paid for our coffee and snacks. I bid the two ladies some farewells but I didn't leave yet. I wanted a carry-out box for my cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies.

I left out the cafe a few moments after Sheva and Claire did. I had my warm coffee in my right hand, my small bag with my sweets in the left. I walked out into the cold air and made my way to the bus stop. I didn't have anywhere else to go before I picked up Mar so I figured I would return to the house and just relax for a while.

"Sherry!" I turned swiftly and saw Piers, Helena and the man of my dreams - Jake.

I was so happy to see them.

Piers encased me in a powerful hug and I laughed, trying my best not to spill my coffee on him. "Sherry! How are you?" he asked cheerfully.

"I'm great, how are you?" He grinned and I knew he was fine. "Where are you three heading?"

"Nowhere in particular, we're just out getting some fresh air for now." Piers answered, wrapping his arm around Helena. She winked at me and I returned it, playfully.

"We just came from this Italian restaurant," said Jake as he came up and stole my coffee from me. I watched helplessly as he drank it all. "What were you up to, Supergirl?"

"I just came from getting some coffee with Claire and Sheva. I wanted the rest of my coffee too you bully!" I whined, smacking his arm lightly. "And what's with you mister? You don't like my cooking so you eat elsewhere now?"

"Hah!" all three mocked and I giggled.

"The food was awful." Jake said, taking my bag of sweets and I fought him weakly to get them back. "Stop - you need to learn to share."

Piers laughed at me when my jaw dropped. "Jake, you know women don't share sweets!"

Jake chuckled a bit and pinched my cheek, further annoying me. "My _homemade_ coffee is better. I'll make you some when we get back, alright?"

"Sure, I'd love that." I said and poked his side. I didn't know how his coffee tasted but I was curious now.

Helena shook her head at everyone's antics and I didn't blame her. "So, what's up, Sherry? You wanna hang for a while?" she asked.

"I wish I could but I've got to pick up Marlowe in a little bit." I pouted playfully. "I'm sorry."

"I'll come with you," Jake said with a shrug as he ate one of my cookies, then took another one and put it up to my mouth. I smiled and took a bite, he ate the rest. "Piers, Babe - you two comin'?"

Believe it or not, I was starting to get used to his nickname for Helena. He had a nickname for me too so I was sure there was a reason for the nickname just like he had his reasons for mine.

And Piers didn't mind so why should I?

"Yeah, sure - can we get a couple beers when we get to your place though?" Helena asked as we all started walking together.

"I don't know, miss thing - you're a wild one when a drink gets in you." Piers stated with a soft sigh, Jake and I laughed a bit.

We all walked side by side with Jake closest to the street and Piers at the other end. Helena and I were in the middle, I blushed as she wrapped her arm around my waist but I leaned my head against hers [until Piers whined about me stealing her much to everyone's humor].

The rest of the way to Mar's school, I found myself walking closer to Jake and I even picked up the nerve to loop my arm with his. He smirked teasingly at me and I wondered why - I was shocked when he held up my bag, all of the cookies were gone but at least he left me the cheesecake.

_I hate you Jake Wesker._

That said, something was definitely changing between us. Things were escalating to a new level, despite the forbidden aspect to it all. Perhaps that was what drew us to each other - knowing it was wrong, but we couldn't fight it.

I tightened my grip on his arm and leaned by head against his shoulder. He said nothing and I knew he understood my feelings. At that moment I was content, very content.

Jake was beside me and willing to join me in getting his brother from school. Maybe, just maybe I wouldn't have to talk to him this time about his anger and need for change - for his brother's happiness.

Maybe he already knew what he needed to do.

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked the chap! I liked this chapter for a couple reasons. Believe it or not, everything that happens in here was not planned - it just came naturally and I'm grateful because it will help the next chapter flawlessly.

It's true people, slowly but surely Jake and Sherry are getting closer and closer but there's still the issue of her job and the secrets of the family that need to be addressed.

Gosh I just despise Simmons. He's so awful [growls].

So, any questions, concerns - feel free to let me know.

In the meantime, my finals are in two days - once they're done I will be free to update much faster and I'm so ready for my break! Woot! I hope I pass them because I'm passionate about my damn grades! LOL

See ya soon!

-Vio


	8. Oracle

Chapter 8:

Oracle

* * *

When we picked up Marlowe from school, he was beyond ecstatic. He begged Jake to carrying him home on his shoulders and he did - much to the little guy's pleasure. The walk back to the Wesker home was an interesting one, we all talked about movies, video games and anything else that came up.

Everything just seemed so normal - moments like these made me forget that Helena and Jake even did underground fighting, it was almost as if that had never happened, like I'd dreamed it all.

We made it to the house and the first thing I did was go to greet Mrs. Chambers and Mrs. Stephanie, then I took Mar to the kitchen to make him a little snack. Jake, Helena and Piers went into the lounge to watch a couple movies. They told me to join them whenever and I would see to it - but Marlowe came first.

I put Mar into his high chair and started to prepare him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - his favorite. "So, how was school today?" I asked lightly.

"It was okay." he said. "But I like you teaching me more. We have fun."

I giggled. "Aw, that's so sweet. I like teaching you, too - believe it or not, I learn a lot by teaching you." I shrugged after placing a jelly coated piece of bread over one with peanut butter. "I guess my old school teachers were right - there's never a limit on things a person can learn."

"Infinite expansion, Bear."

I rolled my eyes, humored by him and then a laugh escaped me. "You always say it better than I do, Mar." I split the sandwich into four pieces with a butter knife and placed it before him on a small plate. "Here - a gift for my super baby." I kissed his cheek and he pouted cutely – he insisted he wasn't a baby anymore. "Oh hush mister - I put it on your favorite plate!" I laughed.

He noticed and then his pouting ceased, replaced with a bright grin. "Thanks, Nanny Bear!" he bit one piece.

I walked over to the refrigerator. "You want some juice? There's cranberry apple in here and I see some orange juice too."

"Grape juice is in the back."

I blinked and pushed aside a gallon of milk and a couple of other items to find the grape juice exactly where he stated. "Oh! Thanks, buddy - " I peeked back at him. "You put it back here to hide it from Jake, didn't you?"

"He drinks everything!" he exclaimed with another pout - his mouth covered in remnants from the piece of sandwich he'd devoured.

"That's not very nice, Mar." I retrieved the juice and searched the cabinet for his favorite cup - the only one he would drink out of. "You wouldn't like it if Jake did that to you."

"But Bear - "

"Would you?" I pressed gently.

"No..." he lowered his head.

I smiled and brought his juice to him. "Next time, just tell me and I'll make your big thirsty brother save you some." I grinned. "If he bothers it anyway, I'll kick his butt for you."

He smiled. "Thank you, Nanny Bear. But we both know Jake could beat you without much effort."

I pouted. "True - but if I kick him -"

"He'll throw you."

"I could slap - "

"He might head-butt you."

"...You're right. He'd destroy me..." I was defeated, but it was fun while I it lasted. We both laughed. "Finish eating, okay? I'm gonna clean up the kitchen a bit."

When he nodded his consent, I began wiping off the counters and rearranging the items in the refrigerator for convenience. I could hear Jake and the rest blasting the TV's in the lounge, I could see they were watching a very action-packed movie. I fanned myself a bit, it was too warm in the house. I contemplated telling Jake to turn it the heat down but discarded the idea once Marlowe finished his sandwich.

I helped him out of his high chair and placed his cup and plate into the sink. I made soapy water for them to soak in - I would wash them after I got him cleaned up.

I took him into the bathroom and grabbed a few face cloths. I wiped his face clean of food as well as his hands. I noticed he was very much in need of a bath. Instead of lugging his tired behind to the bathroom upstairs [he was very sleepy now - and cranky because of it], I ran him a bath on the first floor and grabbed him a clean jump suit from the laundry room. Luckily I had hung it to dry the night before - he was supposed to wear it this morning but he wanted to wear his Spiderman shirt and blue jeans.

After enduring a barrage of tsunami's and tidal waves from him, I dried him, and dressed him. He'd woken up for the bath but his exhaustion returned. I picked him up and got ready to climb the stairs.

"I wanna sleep in your room, Bear." he mumbled tiredly.

"Alright, I suppose you want me to sleep too, then?"

"You got dishes to wash."

I groaned - him and his brain. I loved the little teddy bear but he thinks more than I did sometimes. "You're right, guess it can't hurt for you to sleep alone - you okay with that?" he nodded tiredly.

I carried him to my room and sat on the bed. I was about to place him there but he wouldn't release my neck. I had no choice but to lay down. I laid flat on my back and he rested his head over my breasts, right by my collar bone. He was out cold after a few minutes.

I was afraid to wake him - he was a nightmare if he didn't get his nap. Temper tantrums galore.

I sighed and flicked on the lamp beside my bed. I just lay there, quietly staring out of the tall windows in my room at the leafless trees outside - their branches swaying gently from the autumn breeze.

I heard footsteps in the hallway and then a tall dark figure peeked into my room. I blushed as Jake raised a brow at me and his little brother's odd sleeping position. I shrugged a little with a sheepish grin on my face. He shook his head at me but looked amused. He entered quietly and lifted him slowly from me, placing him on the bed beside me.

I placed a teddy bear near the little genius - he liked the bears in my room - they were the influence for the nickname he'd given me, as well as made him sleep easier.

I thanked Jake quietly and slid from the bed, brushing past him to tend to the dishes in the kitchen sink.

I grabbed the dish sponge and began to wipe away. "What's going on, you guys were watching the movie right?"

"Yeah," he said, he started going through the refrigerator and pulled out the grape juice. "Where'd this come from?"

_Wouldn't you like to know? _I giggled. "Save your brother some juice from now on, you glutton." I teased.

He huffed, catching the hint. "Figures, he's always hiding the juice." I laughed and he turned to me. "Hey, are you too busy to come outside with me for a minute?"

"I just have to finish these and then I'm free until he's awake." I rinsed off the plate. "Is it something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No, but those two need space to talk - got a little emotional in there and I don't want to get involved."

I blinked. "Piers and Helena… emotional? Piers I can see but Helena's... not very expressive."

"She is, she just doesn't like to show weakness." he dismissed the topic with a wave of his hand. "Let's talk about something else."

I unplugged the sink then and let the water drain out. "I'm all done now. I just need to grab my coat and we can step out."

He gestured me to the hallway and I retrieved my coat from the front closet in no time. Afterwards, we walked to the living room area. He slid open one of the glass doors and I stepped out into the backyard, he shut the door behind us.

* * *

The temperature outside was steadily getting colder as the days went by. The breeze was cooler, the amounts of rain seemed to be less common and the skies darkened at around 16:00 [4:00pm] now.

Jake and I stayed close to the house, just in case Mar woke up and needed attention.

"What's on your mind, Jake?" I asked touching his shoulder gently. We walked side by side, going nowhere in particular. Our boots made a crunching sound on the leaves along the ground as we stepped.

He paused for a long minute, just staring at me - finally a smile came to his face. "Nothing really, I just wanted to..." he trailed off and I knew what he wanted to say.

_He wants to spend some time with me._

I blushed and coyly reached for his hands, grasping them both in mine. "Jake... I want to, too." was all I could really muster out.

He pulled me closer and that ever familiar heat that arrived every time we were close. "I uh, meant to make you that coffee, but I really needed some air. If you get cold, let me know and we'll go back inside alright?" I nodded to him. "So, tell me about yourself, Supergirl."

"I was born in Raccoon City. It was small but I can't honestly say I saw much of the place - sights I mean." I laughed. "After I got away from my parents, I moved to a place called Tall Oaks with Claire and stayed with her for a few years. I got a job at a coffee shop and I worked there until I came here to Europe."

"What made you leave that job behind?" he asked me, releasing me and moving further into the yard.

I followed behind him and we approached a concrete and brick fountain. It stood erect in the center of the yard, a large bowl shape with a figurine in the center that was supposed to spill out water from some sort of pot in its hands. The water wasn't on - most likely because of the cold weather and leaves had overcome it and filled the bowl. It was still a beauty without the water.

Jake and I sat down along the bowl side by side.

I sighed. "Well, I was struggling to get by with my job. My landlord wasn't very nice and always seemed to find a reason to charge me extra. It just really was stressing me." I had to fight off the pain from these memories. I enjoyed my former job but I really wasn't happy at all with my life before coming with Claire.

Jake put his arm around me and I exhaled blissfully as I leaned my head onto his shoulder. "Jake, I'm so happy to be here. You have no idea how happy..." I whispered.

"I... kind of do." he said softly.

I gave him my full attention. "What do you mean, Jake?"

His gaze was to the grey sky, at nothing in particular. "I really don't want to talk about it right now." he shook his head and shifted uncomfortably.

_Must be painful to talk about. _I observed his scar and felt guilty for asking. _I wish I could heal your pain - rescue you from your anguish and whatever may be the cause._

He turned to me slowly and met my eyes. "Don't worry about me, Supergirl." he smirked. "If anyone needs a helping hand - it's you." my eyes widened.

_Did he just... No - No way, he couldn't have. _For a moment there it was almost like he could...

Almost like he could read my mind.

"I just want to make sure you - you know... understand that I'm - " he coughed a bit and cleared his throat. He was so charmingly awkward at trying to court me. "I'm... here for you," he finally said and I felt my face heat up. "I'll do anything for you, Sherry." he grasped my hands in his and I flushed.

"Oh Jake," I breathed, slowly my gaze drifted to the ground and I pulled away from him. _This is wrong. I work for him and his family. I can't do this - it's wrong. I shouldn't..._

"Sherry..." he whispered, trying to pull me back but I struggled weakly against him. "It's okay, come here."

"Jake, please..." I pleaded softly. "I just - I don't know..."

"It's alright, Sherry." he touched my fingers so gently it was almost like he didn't. "Come here."

"Is this wrong?" I finally managed.

"Do you think it's wrong?" he asked. I leered at him and admired his lovely cerulean blue eyes. They were so lovely - their gentle semblance made them all the more stunning.

I wasn't sure if he understood what I was referring to, but I answered anyway. "I don't know..."

"How do you feel, Sherry?"

"I feel safe when I'm with you." I answered honestly. "I like being around you, Jake."

He caressed my hands in his. "I don't think it's wrong. You shouldn't either."

"Do you... even understand what I'm talking about?" I asked timidly.

"Yeah, you're afraid to be close to me because you work for the family and for some reason you think it's unprofessional of you to like me."

I was stunned - either Jake was pretty good at reading people... or he actually could read my mind.

_But there's no way he could right? _

"Am I wrong for thinking this way, Jake?" I questioned, fighting off the thoughts going through my head.

"I can't tell you how to think or feel, Sherry." he stated, locking eyes with me. "But - I'd like for us to think of each other as equals - not servant and master. You know, kind of like partners or somethin'."

I blushed. _But I kind of like the idea of being your servant - Bad Sherry! Bad! _"Thanks, Jake."

He smirked suddenly. "But if you wanna be my _mistress_ - that's fantastic." I completely flushed and turned away, embarrassed. He laughed at me. "As long as you belong to me and only me." his arm came around my waist. "I won't hurt you - I'll be good to you, I promise... _naughty girl_."

I pouted. "Jake Wesker, if I didn't know any better I would ..." I paused and he raised a brow, interested. "No - no it's silly - never mind."

"Talk to me." he said coolly.

_It's now or never... Better clear up my silly assumptions while I can. _"It's just... sometimes I think you can read minds or something." I giggled sheepishly.

He stared at me for a moment and tilted his head to the side, observing me. "That's... a silly proposition."

"Yeah, I figured it was. I just -"

"Would you… be freaked out if I could?"

I know I probably shouldn't have been alarmed by this - but I was. I felt like he was alluding to me that he could - but he could very well have been teasing me. I tried to convince myself that there was no way he could read my mind but what if he could?

I started to recall all the times that it seemed like he could. I found myself realizing that he wasn't the only one. Claire could read me easily and Leon was especially good at it. Whenever I had a dilemma, those two could provide me with an answer quicker than I could register the problem.

Maybe Jake was like those two. He cared enough about me to read me without even trying.

The idea of this made me feel special – I meant so much to him that he was in tune with my emotions.

_Or maybe I'm just very easy to read..._

"I - I don't believe you can, Jake." I mumbled, finally gathering the courage to look at him. He looked sober, I couldn't tell if he was pushing my buttons or not – but I was sure he was. "Stop it - Jake." I begged, hoping he would stop playing with my mind.

"Why wouldn't you believe it?" he finally smirked and I felt relieved. "Is it because you're scared or you genuinely don't believe me?"

_I'll challenge him a bit, just to see if he can or can't. _"What am I thinking about, Jake?" I asked, meekly. I was thinking about Claire.

I just wanted to prove to myself that this was him teasing me once again. I wasn't sure how I would react if he really could read my mind – but the first feeling that I recognized was fear. I was afraid of the idea that my thoughts weren't mine to own anymore. Sure, I had nothing to hide but the fact remained that I felt vulnerable.

As he was about to answer me, my phone's alarm went off. It was meant to inform me that I should start planning dinner. As I reached for my phone in my coat pocket, the wind picked up just enough that it blew the hat I'd kept in my pocket out of my hand and up onto a tree branch a few feet away.

"Damn it!" I fussed and ran over to the tree. It was much too high and my hat was surely going to be swept away if I didn't retrieve it before the next gust came. "Jake, could you give me a boost?" I bit my lip to calm my nerves.

"Why don't I just get it for you?" he asked with a shrug.

Before I could respond, my jaw dropped in awe as Jake jumped onto the tree and began to climb upwards effortlessly. From one tree branch to another, he flipped onto the branch that held my hat and snatched it swiftly. He landed on the ground in front of me and held out my hat.

"Here." he said, nonchalantly.

"H-How did you?" I could barely form words as I took my hat from him – I just made a poor imitation of fish - trying very hard to make a sentence. "How did you - what the - what are you?"

He looked down at me, a solemn look to him. "Would you believe me if I told you I was superman?" he smirked then.

I rolled my eyes, sighing almost exasperatedly. I'd had enough of his tomfoolery for the day. "Absolutely not," I answered. The next thing I knew, I was laughing – I just knew that he _had_ to be joking. I stopped after a moment and fell close to silence, his expression was troubled… "Jake...?"

"I'm _different_, Sherry." he said demurely, his gaze lowering to the ground. "I'm different from other people."

I didn't want to believe him, but I couldn't shake the feeling that he was telling me the truth.

* * *

Jake and I came back into the house after that awkward moment. I needed to check on Marlowe and he wanted to see how Helena and Piers were holding up. Jake hadn't told me what exactly was going on between the two 'lovers', but I figured it was within good reason so I didn't press the topic any further.

Before I could make for my room, Jake pulled me into a warm embrace. I blushed, wrapping my arms around him. To be honest, I was afraid of the idea of him being something like an alien or something. I could believe Mr. Wesker being an alien far sooner – but Jake was different from him, he was more _human_.

_Maybe he's a vampire? Nah, he comes out during the day too often - plus he's too warm and doesn't talk about blood. Maybe a werewolf? That's ridiculous. I should stop... _I felt ignorant for thinking like that. He was a living person – not some fairy tale monster out to romance me and lure me to the darker side of life.

"Supergirl," Jake started in my ear, a chuckle escaped him. "I'm not something supernatural so get that out of your head."

I squeaked. _It's just a coincidence - just a coincidence. I will not entertain myself with this mind reading thing anymore. I mean it! _"Jake..." I mumbled, not sure what I wanted to say.

"Don't be scared of me, Sherry - I'm not some monster." he cupped my face. "I'm just... _different_. One day, it will make sense, Sherry. When the time's right, I'll tell you - I promise."

His next action left me swooning. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, the contact sent an electric charge throughout my entire body and made my legs wobble. He pulled away from me, an almost simper look was on his face. A moment later, he entered the lounge and shut the door with a soft click.

I was trembling, elated by his affectionate gesture. Jake had kissed me - on my forehead yes but it still counted right?

I walked to my room, still feeling flushed but I had a smile engraved on my face. Jake had just made my day – nothing would bring me down and I was sure of it.

I flicked on the hallway light and peeked into my bedroom. I was pleased to find Mar still sleeping soundly on my bed, curled up with the teddy bear being used as a pillow for his head. He was just too precious when he was asleep for me not to stare.

I began to ponder on just what was the secret to Jake. I wondered if I could ask Marlowe but I was hesitant to do so. Whatever Jake was keeping from me had to be for a good reason.

Just then, Marlowe woke up. He sniffed a bit, and started looking around – most likely trying to find me. His eyes widened as his gaze met mine from my place by the door.

"_Ghost_!" he cried and started to toss around my bears and pillows, trying to find anything to hide under.

_Not this again! _I watched almost lethargically as he buried himself under my covers. I slowly approached. "Mar, it's me - your Nanny Bear, remember?" I tugged the sheets from him and he looked at me with wide ocean blue eyes. I tittered at his silly stunt. "This is the second time you've called me a ghost!"

He blinked and sat up to throw his arms around me. "Nanny Bear!" he beamed cutely. "You really should turn down that light - it's kind of creepy on you sometimes."

I knit my brows a bit, confused - I glanced into the hallway, noting the bright lights and then back to him. "Are the hallway lights bothering you? Sorry, it just seemed really dark -"

"_No_ - I mean _your _light, Bear. You're too bright!"

"... _Huh_?"

He put his hands on his hips and sighed dramatically. "You _glow_ in the dark, Nanny Bear. It's like you're a light bulb or something!"

_What is he talking about? _To say I was freaked out would be an understatement. "O-Oh stop it, silly. I do _not_ glow in the dark like a lightning bug!" I exclaimed, dismissing his statement entirely - for the sake of my sanity.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself." he hopped off the bed and sprinted out of the room towards the kitchen.

I followed behind him, trying very hard to ignore the thoughts brewing about in my head. I needed to let the thoughts go – Mar was always saying weird things, I needn't dwell on it.

In the kitchen, Mar opened the refrigerator and began digging through it. He retrieved the last of the grape juice [I would have to thank Jake later for being considerate].

"Is my cup clean?" Mar asked sweetly, handing me the juice carton.

I nodded and retrieved his Sippy cup from the dish rack. I emptied the juice carton into his cup, placed the top over it and returned it to him. He eagerly began to drink. I dropped the empty container into the garbage can and turned to him as I leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Mar?" I started, quietly. He turned to me, still sipping from his cup. "Um, can you read minds?" I asked awkwardly.

_I'm ridiculous…_

He stopped drinking and frowned a bit. "_No_... That's a weird question, Bear." he replied.

I nodded – confirming this to myself and then mustered some more courage. "...Can Jake?"

He stared at me for moment and then shook his head slowly. I let out a soft whistle, feeling relieved. "Nanny Bear?" I looked down to him. "Where's Jake?"

"He's in the lounge - he still has company." I answered, taking his hand. "Why? You wanted to spend time with your brother?"

He shrugged. "I can wait - besides, I have you!" he grinned. "Can we go play upstairs?"

"Sorry sweetheart, I've got to start dinner." I sulked.

He frowned, his face reddened as he puffed his cheeks. "That's not fair! I wanna play!" he slammed his cup on the counter.

"Mar, stop that!" I scolded. "You will not be slamming things in this house! That's unacceptable and you know it!"

"So? Jake gets mad all the time and you don't yell at him!" he retorted folding his arms across his chest.

I was taken aback by this. _So Mar throws tantrums because he sees Jake doing it. _I frowned, I would surely confront Jake about this. His acting out was rubbing off on his brother. "Mar, just because Jake does it doesn't mean it's right."

He still pouted, facing away from me. I sighed. "Marlowe please, would your father like to see you throwing fits?"

"I don't know - want me to go ask him?" before I could say anything, he darted from the kitchen and down the hall.

"Mar - no stop!" I shouted, chasing after him.

He was acting like this just because Jake would. I was distraught at the idea of him troubling his father over something so ridiculous. I wanted to stop him before he could reach Mr. Wesker's study but sadly he did and started knocking immediately.

"Mar!" I shouted finally able to snatch him up into my arms. He fought me relentlessly. "What on earth is wrong with you?! Stop this!"

"Let me go!" he fussed, kicking and thrashing about.

"Mar please -"

"Marlowe." He stopped instantly upon hearing Mr. Wesker's voice over mine. I shrank to the floor with him in my arms, trying to catch my breath. He really was a hand full when he wanted to be and he sure as hell could run fast for a little guy.

I raised my head to Mr. Wesker, he was clad in all-black like usual. I shook my head pathetically to him, hoping he wouldn't be mad that Mar had managed to get away from me once again. He appeared calm but it could have very well been the shades he was wearing.

"Mr. Wesker, please forgive me I - "

He held up his hand to silence me. "It is fine, Miss Birkin." his gaze traveled to Mar. "Marlowe, you shouldn't be giving your Nanny so much trouble. It's not nice."

Mar looked ready to cry. "D-Daddy I -"

"Now, now my son." he took him from my arms and I stood up to brush off my clothes. "Marlowe, you must behave yourself. Your Nanny will be busy for a few days - she doesn't need you to bring about mischief, understand?"

"Yes father." Marlowe murmured out dolefully.

"Thank you, Mr. Wesker." I intercepted mildly. "He wanted to play but I told him I can't at the moment. I just need to finish dinner and I'll be sure to entertain him." he handed Mar over to me and I hugged him tightly. "You forgive me, little guy?" He nodded gloomily and leaned his head onto my shoulder.

"This is all learned behavior from his older brother." Mr. Wesker stated rigidly. "Be sure to inform him it is unacceptable whenever it emerges."

"Yes sir." I conceived with a short nod.

At that moment, I noticed that a very strong aroma was coming from Mr. Wesker's study. It smelled like perfume - a woman's perfume. I couldn't really place the scent but I could make out about three different types mixed into one. The smell was so powerful that it made my eyes water.

I cleared my throat, trying to ignore the burning in my eyes - I wanted to change the subject. "Erm, I was about to make dinner, was there anything in particular you wanted this evening, sir?"

"I may not be here when dinner is to be finished so do not worry about me, Miss Birkin." he turned on his heels and returned back into his office. "No calls." I could hear him say before he closed the door in front of us.

Mar was silent in my arms, but his tears were starting to soak through my shirt and onto my shoulder. I adjusted him in my arms and gave him a smile - making my way out of the library and back towards the kitchen.

* * *

"Are you mad at me too, Nanny Bear?" he asked softly, his eyes puffy from crying.

I shook my head. "No. I understand you want to play Marlowe - there's nothing wrong with that at all - but it's not okay to throw tantrums because you can't get what you want."

We reached the kitchen and I released him slowly to the floor. He rubbed his eyes and peered up at me. "I'm sorry, Bear..." he started to cry and my heart hurt just seeing it.

I crouched down and pulled him into a warm embrace. "Shh, it's okay, Mar. I'm not angry, I forgive you."

"I love you, Nanny Bear." he choked out, wrapping his little arms around my neck.

I was taken aback for a moment. Besides hearing those words from Leon and Claire, I didn't hear them from anyone else. To hear Mar say those to me just made me feel sunny side up.

"I - I love you too, Mar." I felt a tear travel down my cheek as I spoke, but I meant what I'd said. _It's amazing that I feel so strongly for this boy..._

We pulled apart after a few heartwarming minutes. I wiped away his tears with a smile but I couldn't help but notice he was wiping at his eyes almost excessively. They were closed and suddenly he began groaning.

"Mar? Are you okay sweetheart?" I asked, worried.

"My eyes are itchy... and they burn. My nose does too." he whined, using one hand to rub his eyes and the other to rub his nose.

"Open your eyes, Mar." I gently tried to pry his hands from his face. "Come on, let me see..."

When he opened them, my own eyes widened. They were puffy, pink and watery. I gasped and picked him up and onto the kitchen sink, and then started digging through the cabinets to find some clean kitchen towels. "_Jake_!" I cried out, over and over, tears streaming down my face. "Hang on, Marlowe - please don't fight me - I need to rinse your eyes with some water okay?"

_He must be having an allergy attack! But what's the cause? _I frantically dabbed water around his eyes and into them whenever he would stop fighting enough to let me. "Jake!" I cried out once more.

The lounge doors flew open and Jake rushed to us. "What's wrong?!" he asked, glancing back and forth between us.

"Jake - please! Go get Mrs. Chambers! Hurry!" I begged him, blowing on Mar's eyes, trying to cool them.

Jake nodded to me and left immediately. A few moments later, he returned with Mrs. Chambers - Jake had thrown the poor woman over his shoulder and carried her to me. He let her down quickly and ushered her closer to Mar and myself.

"What on earth is going on?!" she asked, completely bewildered by his actions. She looked at Mar and gasped. "What happened?"

"Mar and I had a disagreement - he ran to his dad's study, Mr. Wesker came out and talked to us - I brought him back and he was crying and then I noticed his eyes were puffy and he said his nose was burning so I tried using some cold water to him..." I trailed off, I was rambling, tears streaming down my face. "I think he's having an allergy attack!"

"Allergy?" Jake echoed, curiously.

Mrs. Chambers observed Mar's eyes closely, and then asked him if he could breathe out of his nose - when he did, she nodded affirming something to herself. She amazed me with her calm demeanor - she was one hell of a professional. "Okay you two, calm down. He's intolerant to something, that's for sure but he's not in any serious danger."

"What?" Jake and I questioned in union.

She held a finger up to silence us. "One moment," she smiled at Mar. "Marlowe, are you feeling better?" he shrugged, sniffing and blinked his eyes tightly. "I'll take that as a 'getting there' - good, you're recovering."

"Sherry?" I was trembling as she looked at me. "Was he wheezing before you doused him with water?" I shook my head 'no'. "Let's see about any rashes…" she started checking around his body by lifting his shirt and jacket to check his skin, and then checked his legs. "None of those either... Hm, does your throat itch?" Mar shook his head.

"Was it something he ate?" Jake asked me.

"No, he woke up fine and hasn't eaten since." I answered.

Mrs. Chambers shook her head. "Itchy eyes and stuffy nose is more of a reaction to something like pollen than a food substance. Something in the environment that bothers the nose."

_Like a perfume... _I gasped. "Mrs. Chambers -"

"Rebecca, please. You're making me feel old, Sherry." she intercepted - quite seriously too.

"_Rebecca_," I corrected myself. "When he ran to his father's study, there was a strong smell coming from the room."

She tilted her head at me. "Like cologne - perfume maybe?"

I nodded. "Yes - it was very strong. My eyes started to itch too."

I looked at Mar and noticed he'd stopped scratching, most likely the water had helped with the burning, but I was concerned about his stuffy nose now. In the corner of my eye, I noticed Jake tense up. His fists were balled up and his gaze locked on the floor.

"Hm," Rebecca considered. "That's plausible - especially since your eyes were effected too and with little Marlowe here being so young, being sensitive to pungent odors and fragrances isn't abnormal." she ruffled his hair a bit. "That also explains his nose bothering him."

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked.

She tilted his head back a bit to observe the inside of his nose. "He's going to need some tissue to help with his runny nose," she tittered. "But besides that, he should be fine. His reaction is fading away rapidly - which is odd but it could be because he was removed from the source quickly enough."

"Oh thank God!" I sighed, relieved. I pulled him into my arms and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Mar."

"Next time..." Rebecca started with a dry tone. "I hope you don't send Jake to retrieve me." she chuckled. "He snatched me away from the movie I was watching with Stephanie and threw me over his shoulder like I was a rag doll or something!"

I giggled wearily. "Thanks for coming, _Rebecca_." I peeked around her, noticing Jake was no longer there. "Where did Jake go?"

She looked around and shrugged, confused. "He was just here..." she sighed. "Typical Jake, he's always a mystery. Well, I'm glad I could help Sherry - but I'm gonna head back to Stephanie to finish our movie. If he starts showing another reaction, shout for me and I'll bring him some allergy remedies."

"Thanks." I said and watched her disappear from the kitchen.

I looked at Mar and he smiled at me - I returned the gesture gladly. I was beyond relieved that he was fine. I was afraid that he was going to need rushing to the hospital.

I began to wonder where Jake had gone off to. The lounge door was still open so I was sure he never went back inside, the TV was off in there and Helena and Piers were nowhere in sight. I assumed they must have gone to the basement - that would have explained why Jake took a moment to reach Mar and I when I called him.

_I'm sure he didn't go back to the basement - he would have shut the lounge doors behind him like he always does._

But where did Jake go if he didn't return to the basement?

I helped Mar off the counter and asked him once again if he was alright - to which he assured me he was. I tried to calm myself, confirm to myself that Mar was fine. However, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something bad was about to happen.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly - deciding to focus on making dinner for everyone - then I would go check on everyone just to ease my nerves.

I reached for a cook book and began to flick through the pages to see what interested me enough to cook it. Marlowe began playing around with a couple of his race cars in the hall right where I could see him. While I was lost in my thoughts, he must have grabbed his toys from my room [I kept a couple of his in there so we wouldn't always have to climb the staircase].

For a while, things were quiet. I had decided on something simple for the evening, yet something plentiful so that Piers and Helena would be able to eat too - a nice pot of spaghetti. It was 18:35 [6:35pm] when I completed dinner and I was relieved that Marlowe was still behaving himself - only he'd stopped playing cars a while ago. He had asked me to put him in his high chair so he could color in his coloring book - staying there while I finished preparing dinner.

"I'm all done." I announced to him with a smile. He cheered and handed me his crayons and coloring book, obviously he was ready to eat. "Okay, okay - I'll go put these up and then we can eat."

Jake still hadn't returned but I had calmed down about it. He may have decided to watch the movie with Rebecca and Mrs. Stephanie. Though the odds of that were low, I told myself I wouldn't dwell too much on it.

I turned to take Mar's supplies to my room. Leaving them on my bed for the time being, I returned to the kitchen and saw that Mar suddenly had that emotionless mask on. He scared me a bit - I approached him meekly.

"Mar? You okay -"

"Jake." was all he said.

I blinked. "You want me to let you out?" He nodded.

As soon as his feet touched the floor, a loud crash startled the both of us. I was so stunned that Mar got away from me once again. I gasped and shouted for him to stop but he kept going - back in the same direction that caused his allergies to act up - the library and most likely his father's study.

Another crash came and I forced myself to stand up and chase after Marlowe. I could hear him crying out for Jake and I felt a pang in my stomach.

_I knew it! I just knew it!_

If only I had been wrong.

* * *

When I came into the library, I was met with the shock of my life.

Books had fallen from the shelves, the circular wooden table in the center was snapped in two, and the entire shelf on one side of the room had collapsed. I stood there completely immobilized at the sight before me.

The ones responsible were Jake and Mr. Wesker.

They were fighting.

"Jake!" Mar cried out and tried to run towards him. I instinctively wrapped my arms around him to prevent him from getting hurt.

The two men of the Wesker household were fighting fiercely. Mr. Wesker's glasses were crooked, there was a small trickle of blood coming from his hairline - his mouth was bleeding lightly and he had a couple bruises. Jake on the other hand had a swollen eye, bloody nose and I could see the knuckles on his right fist were bleeding.

_This is complete madness! __Why are they fighting?!_

I flinched as Jake's fist collided with Mr. Wesker's face. He recovered from it without issue and grabbed Jake by his neck, slinging him towards the center table. Jake landed easily - immediately running at his father for another attack.

"Jake!" Mar cried out, tears coming down his face. I was speechless, panic overtaking me.

_What if they kill each other? Oh God, this has to stop - I have to stop them!_

"Jake! Mr. Wesker!" I shouted, weakly. My throat felt dry and my stomach was in knots. "Stop!"

They didn't hear me, but that didn't stop me from trying - Marlowe helped me as we tried to get through to them. It was almost like they hadn't noticed we were there.

My heart stopped when Jake executed a powerful uppercut to his father, flipping him backwards. I watched as Mr. Wesker landed almost crouched over.

"_Jake_!"

He stopped then, he'd finally heard me. He gawked at me almost as if he were alarmed by my presence. A split second later - something flashed in my eye and I watched helplessly as Mr. Wesker delivered a debilitating kick to Jake's abdomen sending him flying backwards into the largest bookshelf in the library. He collided with it and then fell to the floor with a loud thud.

I gasped horrified - my hands came up to cover my mouth. "No! Jake!" I shrieked in terror. He placed both of his palms on the floor and tried pushing himself up - only to succumb to his injuries and collapse.

Next thing I knew, Marlowe had gotten away from me and darted towards Jake. I shouted for him to stop but a loud creaking sound hit my ears and I watched in horror as the bookcase started to tilt.

_Oh no! Marlowe! Jake!_

I don't know what came over me or how it happened but I managed to snag Marlowe back into my arms - but by then we were within reach of the bookshelf, a few feet in front of Jake.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion suddenly.

I could do nothing but stare helplessly as the shelf began to fall forward.

I took one last glance at Jake and our eyes met. I could see his eyes were as wide as mine were.

After that, I shut my eyes tightly, hugging Marlowe as close to me as possible, hoping to shield him from what was to come and prepared myself for the pain.

I waited for the fatal crash - for the floor to shake from the collision.

But it never came.

Nor did the pain.

I opened my eyes slowly and inhaled sharply, realizing I was no longer at the mercy of the bookshelf. I was a few feet away.

The bookcase was being held up - by Mr. Wesker! I was completely flabbergasted and watched with my mouth agape as he slowly pushed it back to its former place. That bookcase was surely over 500 pounds! How could he -

_Where's Jake and Mar?_

I blinked and stared disbelievingly at Mar. He was still balled up in my arms. He looked as shocked as I did with wide ocean blue eyes.

He was safe. That put me at ease.

I felt warm, this warmth was familiar and so was the smell of something spicy as it tickled my nose. It was then that I finally became aware that I was in someone's arms.

Jake's arms.

He was crouched to the ground, holding me bridal style in his arms. His eyes were closed and he was panting heavily.

_He saved me…?But how? He was hurt - how did he move so quickly?_

I stared astonished at him. _ Jake, you really are different, aren't you...?_

"Jake..." I whispered.

He opened his eyes slowly - he looked ready to collapse. "Told you... I'd keep you safe... Supergirl..." he choked out, and smirked slightly.

_Thank you, Jake. _"Jake -"

"Miss Birkin..." I looked at Mr. Wesker tiredly. I felt Jake trembling with anger as he pulled me even closer. Mr. Wesker fixed his glasses but I could have sworn I'd seen his eyes glow almost _orange_... "I would appreciate it if you would have this mess cleaned up - after you tend to Jake's wounds of course." he turned away to make for his study.

Almost like nothing had happened.

"B-But - don't you need -"

"I'll be fine." he answered. He turned to look at Jake briefly, and then entered his study.

"Bye Daddy!" Mar bid him a farewell so cheerfully that I was shocked. Why were they acting as if nothing had ever happened?

"Behave yourself, Marlowe." was all he said before he shut his door.

I felt so tired suddenly, I blinked my eyes a few times - next thing I knew everything around me turned dark...

* * *

When I awoke, I was in my bed, Mar was beside me – snoring lightly in his sleep. I looked around and saw my room was dark, the clock on my nightstand said it was 21:09 [9:09 pm].

_Was it all… a dream?_

I sat up slowly and groaned, holding my head – I felt like I'd been hit over the head by a ton of bar lifts. I could hear the shower running in the bathroom next door and it made my eyes widen. If it was this late – what about dinner?

I slid quietly from the bed [to ensure I didn't wake Mar] and stumbled out into the hallway, colliding with the wall before dragging myself to the kitchen. My legs were so weak for some reason. I arrived in the kitchen to see the pot of spaghetti was still where I had left it. I wondered did I fall asleep after I made dinner or something.

I looked down at my clothes – realizing I was in a pair of my plaid boxer shorts and a sleeveless snow green t-shirt. I wasn't wearing that earlier.

_What if that dream was real…?_

Just then, the lounge doors opened. Piers and Helena emerged, their cheeks were a little pink and I wondered why.

Piers chuckled sheepishly, playing with his hair a bit. "Uh sorry – we got wasted and fell asleep in the basement. It's late isn't it?" Well, there was my answer.

"Depends on your definition of _late_." I responded with a dry laugh.

Helena approached me and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling my body against hers. I blushed instantly and squealed a bit when she kissed my cheek. "You look cute, Sherry." she teased, with a smirk.

"Um, thanks Helena." I whispered, weakly pushing away from her. I wanted to play but I felt a little woozy. "Where's Jake?" I leaned against the counter, my palm on my forehead.

They looked at each other. "Not sure," Piers said. "We woke up and he wasn't there."

_That must be Jake in the shower. _I sighed. "Um, are you two really going to try to walk home in the dark? I could set up the guest rooms and -"

Piers laughed, dismissing my concerns. "Helena and I can handle ourselves, Sher – though Jake did promise us a ride…"

"Well, I think that's him in the shower so while you wait for him - I made some spaghetti – are you two hungry?"

"Hell yeah." they chorused and I giggled just a bit at their enthusiasm.

While I prepared them some spaghetti bowls and cups of water [I was sure water would help them more than anything else], they went to sit over in the dining room area. I overheard them talking about how Jake drank too but he didn't go to sleep like they did for some reason.

I noticed that someone had already ate some of the food – judging from the high chairs position, I was sure Jake fed Marlowe before putting him in bed with me.

_How sweet…_

I had a few questions for Mr. Wesker Jr. though – that's for sure.

"Am I in trouble?" If it were possible, I would have jumped out of my skin. I had no idea Jake had come in the kitchen – let alone was right beside me.

He wore a fitted black t-shirt and some matching pajama pants though they had red lines along the sides. My face felt hot as I smelled his intoxicating cologne. I gazed at his face and was shocked to see that he looked -

Normal. Not a scratch or anything to be seen.

_Maybe I did dream it all. Maybe it never happened…_

"It wasn't a dream, Sherry." I blinked at him before raising a brow. "But we'll talk about it later, okay?"

I sobered up and eyed him solemnly. "Yes - we sure will Jake Wesker."

He let out a breath and looked everywhere but at me before going to join Helena and Piers at the table.

_Oh yes, Jake Wesker – you know you're in trouble!_

* * *

I stood before the bathroom sink, brushing my teeth under the bright lights from the fixture. Jake had gone to take Helena and Piers home 30 minutes ago – leaving me to do my before bed regime.

I rinsed my mouth out once I was finished gazed at myself in the mirror. I wasn't really thinking about anything. I already knew what I was going to do once he returned. I was going to give him a piece of my mind – then thank him for saving my life as well as Marlowe's.

Or – the other way around.

Okay, so maybe I was thinking about it more than I thought.

I sighed, cleaning off the sink, putting up my tooth brush as well as the paste.

The door creaked open beside me and I turned to see Jake – he looked a bit nervous and I think it was righteously so. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him, and then approached me.

"Sherry…" he started quietly and I exhaled softly, giving him my attention. "I'm sorry."

"You're always sorry, Jake – but you don't stop the behaviors." I stated.

"Would you just listen for once?" I grimaced a bit and waited for him to continue. "I screwed up again, I know that. I could have lost both of you this time…" he frowned and let out a huff. "I was just so pissed off."

"Why?" I asked, debating should I get closer or not. He was angry with himself more than I was with him.

"The perfume, Sherry - He smells like a goddamn woman." He was talking about his father. I was about to ask the significance of the fragrance but he answered me. "My mom's upstairs, Sherry – she's not the one making him smell like that. You get my hint here?"

My eyes widened. _Mr. Wesker's cheating on Mrs. Stephanie?_ "Jake… do you have any proof?"

"What more fucking proof do I need Sherry?!" he shouted and I backed away. "My father's a fucking dog. Cheating on my mother while she's _sick_! Bastard doesn't even have the courage to look at her because of it!" he almost slammed his fist into the wall but I moved quickly and hugged his torso preventing him from it.

"Jake please! You'll wake Mar… just please calm down."

"Don't you get it, Sherry?! He's fucking scum!" his breathing was erratic now. "He doesn't do anything right. After all these years I'm still always cleaning up his mess – wherever he fucks up, I gotta fix it. Bullshit – that's what it all is. He mistreats his wife and _my mother_ – so much that I have look her in the eye and explain to her that he's a pussy who can't be honest about his flings on the side. He doesn't even raise Marlowe – I fucking do. I always have…" he scoffed, bitterly and clenched his jaw.

I listened to him and felt like I was learning about him for the first time. I never knew there was so much going on in the house – and most of it was his burden to bear. No wonder he was so angry – he had no one to rely on.

_Except me._

"Jake…"

"I'm not a good role model, Sherry – at least not anymore. That's why once you came along I left Marlowe in your hands. I always knew you would take care of him but the idea of you helping me out just didn't sit right with me. I've always done things on my own just like you have. So yeah, when you would explain your past to me – I understood your pain – every ounce of it." he shut his eyes tightly. "But I… I've changed."

"What do you mean?" I asked softly, holding him and leaning my head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat.

"I wasn't always an angry guy." he sighed. "It's just – my father, he pisses me off. He wants me to be like him and the idea of that fucking freaks me out, ya know?"

"Why?"

"I don't wanna bring kids into the world and treat them like items instead of people – and I sure as hell don't want to bang anything that walks." he wrapped his arms around me. "Sure, the houses, the money and shit is great, but there's gotta be more to life than all of this…"

I nodded into his chest. "I understand." He wanted companionship, family and happiness, just like I did.

"You're different than me, Sherry. Your pain made you want to help others and you do it so naturally – you heal people from suffering. All I do is fight and cause chaos – scaring you and my little brother… and making my mom worry."

He began to hug me tighter. "That's why I hate my father so much – he makes me angry. He made me this way."

"Jake," I had finally heard enough – it all made sense to me now. "You and your father are two different people - but your fear of becoming like him has made you start to be." I pulled away to look him in the eye. I could feel the anger radiating off of him again, my words had disturbed him.

Before he could lash out at me, I spoke up to defend myself. "Listen Jake, no one's perfect – parents are just as stupid as the rest of us but we just don't notice that until we get older. Their mistakes just mean they're _human_."

He seemed to soften at this so I continued. "Since we don't like the things our parents have put us through – that should motivate us to be different from them – make different choices and do whatever we can so we don't make the same mistakes."

He seemed like he was considering my words. "Do you hate your parents, Sherry?"

I had to think about it… "To be honest – I don't know – but I don't think I do, because if I did, I'd be isolating Marlowe and wouldn't spend any time with him." I smiled warmly. "We are not our parents, Jake. Their mistakes are theirs to own just like ours are our own."

"Not when their mistakes are put on us."

I frowned. "Your father's actions have nothing to do with you, Jake – unless you let them. The truth is – you have to take responsibility for your own actions – the things you do are impacting the people in your life just like your fathers are. It's up to you to decide whether you want to be the man you know you are or succumb to being the man your father would like you to be. Should you continue down the path you're on right now, you will be like your father – cold and unconcerned about the emotional needs of the people you love – treating them like items and banging anything that walks."

That struck him hard – I didn't know I had it in me!

After a long and tense pause, he chuckled a bit. "Damn Supergirl," he smirked. "You sure know how to get to me."

I let out a huff. "Someone's got to."

He sighed and looked to the ceiling, nodding to himself. "I guess I do need to make a change, don't I?"

"Marlowe would love that." I said gently. "He needs you to change. He's started thinking it's okay to yell and scream at me…" I saddened a bit. "He said to me that you do it and can't see what's wrong with him doing it."

"Damn…" he shook his head, disgusted. "I'm sorry. I tried to teach him to be nice to ladies, guess my actions recently made him forget." he paused then let out another frustrated breath. "I'll do what I can to make things better."

"I'll be right by your side, Jake." I told him, rubbing his shoulder softly. A thought came to me then… "Jake, thanks for saving me and Mar."

"I'll always protect you."

"But how did you do it? You were hurt –"

He sighed. "Guess I've got some explaining to do…" he lifted me onto the sink and sat between my legs. I blushed heavily. "But if it's okay – can we talk about that another time?"

"Why?" I asked, dumbfounded. "There are so many things I don't understand – can you read my mind – why did you recover so quickly – why so fast –."

He put a finger to my lips, silencing me. "Because… there's so much more to me that you'll need to learn to truly understand it. Not only me, but you've got your quirks too Miss _glow in the dark_." he smirked. "Or maybe I should call you Miss _healing touch_."

I was utterly confused. "Why are you and Mar saying that about me and what do you mean by 'healing touch'?"

"I'll talk to you about it soon – I promise. Just not right now. I'm not too sure how to explain it yet and more importantly – I don't know if you're ready."

I nodded with a sigh. I could wait – especially with things about to get wild in the next few days, I didn't need anything deterring me from my priorities. "Alright, Jake – I'll wait, but there's one thing I need you to do for me."

"Anything."

"Promise me you'll keep your composure these next couple days." I pleaded softly. "I could really use your help." I grinned. "And plus – you owe me a coffee mister – and three chocolate chip cookies."

He smiled and cupped my face. I felt flushed when he kissed my forehead for the second time that day. I sighed, I was completely taken with him. His lips lingered on my forehead for a moment until he finally spoke. "Don't worry – I'll do whatever I can to make you and Mar happy, got it?"

I smiled, feeling secure with him. I knew I could trust him – there was something different about him suddenly, unlike the other times where I wondered did I not say enough, I knew I had finally gotten to him.

"Thanks Jake," I murmured. "For not being like your father."

He chuckled a bit and just hugged me tighter. "Thanks for being my sweet girl."

I knew there was a lot more to Jake Wesker than I could have ever imagined, but just how different was he – I wasn't sure.

I would just wait and see what he had to tell me.

_Next week should be pretty damn fun. _I grinned to myself – feeling anxious for the week to come.

* * *

A/N: Well, there's chapter 8.

Oh man, if I were Sherry – I don't know if I would be comfortable with the idea of someone being able to read my mind. [shivers] But can Jake really read minds? Maybe he's just really good at reading people – or maybe it has something to do with her _touch_… [Hint? Maybe!] And what's this about Sherry having a glow? All questions to be answered soon! XD

Thanks for the reviews everyone – they're much appreciated!

Now that I'm out of college on break for a while, I'll be updating faster. I'm so excited about the next coming chapters. There's so many questions to be answered and they will be coming soon.

The next three chapters are my absolute favorite and [drum roll] Leon's coming back for a cameo next chap! Yay! [hugs Uncle Leon]

That's right folks – next chapter is the Halloween Party among other epic events to come and I hope you guys/girls are ready for some romance because it's coming ten-fold the next few chapters. [It just seems like there's so much drama between these two lately but it was necessary for Jake to change – I fancy it's time for some happy times, romance and more of the other characters too]

Well, see you guys/gals next time – and don't forget any questions or concerns feel free to ask! If you see any typos of something odd please let me know! Thanks again and see ya soon!

-Vio


	9. Eye Candy

Chapter 9:

Eye Candy (Part 1)

* * *

It was early afternoon, the day before Halloween - Mar and I were picking up some toys and things that he'd played with to tidy up his playroom. Across the hall, Rebecca was quietly reading a book while still watching over Mrs. Stephanie as she took a little cat nap. As for Jake and Mr. Wesker, they were downstairs [along with a many others that Mr. Wesker hired] seeing to it that the house was decorated in a horror movie theme for the party.

I was told to keep Mar busy upstairs until they finished, as well as make sure he didn't cause any confusion or trouble. Adhering to the request, Mar and I simply read a couple short stories from his favorite book, colored and watched some TV while we snacked on sour cream chips. We were waiting for either Mr. Wesker or Jake to come and signal our freedom.

Hearing a couple short knocks on the door, I handed Mar the bowl filled with chips and rose to open it.

Mr. Wesker entered and gave me a short nod. I smiled, excited to see how the downstairs looked. Before I could call Mar over, he held out two rectangular boxes, one larger than the other and the smaller box was on top of it.

"Mr. Wesker?" I questioned, curiously taking them from him.

"These are your costumes, Miss Birkin. The smallest box is for Marlowe, the other is yours of course." He had a ghost of a smirk on his face for a moment until he turned away and started to leave. "The woman who purchased your costume hopes you will like it. She picked it specifically with Jake in mind."

_What? _I didn't exactly know what he meant, but I would once I opened the box.

"Mar! Our costumes are here!" I cheered, walking over and sitting beside him.

He stopped stuffing his face to look at me. He was saddened suddenly. "I - I thought we were gonna go shopping together?"

I exhaled woefully and rubbed his soft blonde hair a bit. "I'm sorry sweetie, your father wanted to buy your costume. I didn't even get to pick mine. I really wanted to take you shopping but your dad had his own plans in mind..."

He stood up and took the smallest box from me and moved away to sit by the window. I approached to kneel beside him when I saw him opening his box. He was giving me the cold shoulder because he was disappointed - I understood his feelings. He was looking forward to that shopping time - to have his costume be picked for him probably made him feel like he would never get a choice in anything.

"Want me to open it for you?" I asked him softly. He shook his head and I grimaced. "Mar, please don't be angry with me. I really had no say in this. If it were up to me, I would've taken you - I planned to, but your father's the boss of me and I can't fight his commands."

"I know." he said wearily. "I just really wanted to go shopping with you."

I hugged him. "Tell you what, after the party tomorrow - we'll go out and buy you a costume to wear whenever you want - deal?"

He beamed and so did I. "Deal!" he snatched the top off of his box and both of our eyes lit up.

At first I didn't know what it was supposed to be. After Marlowe started pulling the pieces to the costume out bit by bit, I knew exactly what it was. The entire costume was black and consisted of a mask, a Spanish gaucho hat, a small fuzzy mustache, a blouse, a long cape, pants and leather boots. Another item in the box was a small rubber rapier to suit Marlowe's height.

This costume was based on the Legend of Zorro - Mar was going to look so cute as this Spanish Casanova!

"Cool!" Mar cheered, pulling out the rapier and swinging it - barely missing me. "A sword! Am I gonna be Batman?"

I laughed. "No, Mar - this is _Zorro_ - he's a Spanish outlaw who fights tyrants and all the girls just _love_ him."

"I don't know about _girls_ but he fights people? Cool! He's like my big brother!" Mar said, overjoyed. His admiration of Jake was so cute and his awkwardness with girls was too.

I was delighted to see him so pleased with the costume Mr. Wesker got him. "So... you're happy with it?" I asked just to be sure.

"It's awesome! Can I put it on now?"

I stood up and took his hand in mine as well as remove the costume from his grasp. "Sure thing, let's go try it on in the bathroom shall we?"

We walked into the bathroom down the hall and I helped him remove his clothes so he could put the costume on. It fit him very well and he looked like a little charmer. He wanted to go show his dad and Jake but I stopped him - insuring him it should be a surprise. He agreed and I helped him change back to his regular clothes.

Afterwards, we heard Jake call him from downstairs. I told him to go on but be careful on the stairs. Once he left, I sat on the edge of the bathtub. If Mr. Wesker was that creative with Marlowe, I wanted to know what my costume was.

My eyes caught sight of sheer-like garter stockings and a cheeky lace thong.

I nearly fell backwards into the tub.

* * *

"Claire, I'm going to have to come by your place early morning tomorrow - is that okay?"

"Sure thing, just call me and let me know when you're on your way."

"Alright, talk to you in the morning - Goodnight!" once I heard her respond, I hung up and tossed my cell beside me on the bed.

After nearly breaking my neck in the bathtub upstairs, I didn't say much the rest of the day. I was completely shocked by my costume. Mr. Wesker or whoever brought it wasn't very creative - they made me dress the part of my job. As a maid - a sexy, French maid.

I wasn't sure how I was going to survive the Halloween party with practically my entire ass hanging out the back of the skirt. The heels I was supposed to wear were nearly six inches and my breasts were surely going to pop out of the corset. I was at a loss.

I would wear it without complaint but I was praying I wouldn't come across as a slut to the party guests.

I sighed, it was late and I knew I had to get some sleep if I was going to make my way to Claire's house early. I needed her to do my hair and makeup so I could be back in time to start making the party favors and get an early start on drinks [ the party started at 16:30 (4:30 pm)]. I was going to have to bring Mar along with me because Jake was going to be too busy to look after him. He had to help Mr. Wesker with something but was vague with what it was.

I had a big job. Serve guests, mingle, keep things tidy, take coats at the door as well as pass out gift bags when people entered, mix drinks, and also there were going to be children at the party [the guests' kids] that I would have to keep an eye on as they played with Marlowe.

Supergirl to the rescue - at least that's what Jake would surely say.

I was very pleased with Jake the past few days. He kept his word. He and his father weren't disputing, he was being very helpful with Mar, and he was even kind enough to help me out with the house chores.

A secret between him and me - he made dinner the other night while I caught up on some z's.

Sadly, I think his food is tastier than mine.

I sat up and groaned, then moved to my dresser drawers to pull out some pajamas. I had convinced Mar to sleep in his own bed for the night because he was growing too used to mine and I feared he wouldn't be able to sleep on his own bed anymore. Luckily he had no problem with it - but this was most likely because of the decorations Mr. Wesker and Jake had done to the house.

There were a lot of spider webs around the house, accompanied by motion sensing spooky figures - one in particular scared Marlowe and myself when we came downstairs. The dead body was dangling from the ceiling and when someone walked by, he'd scream '_**Somebody help me**_!' so loud, Mar and I started running - but not before crying out for Jake to help _us_.

A lot more bodies and creatures garnished the house, unfortunately one was in the kitchen and he would grab my ankles from his hiding spot inside the bottom cabinets. He would beg me to save him before _they_ ate him - who _they_ were, I wasn't sure but I wished Jake never had him installed.

I would not save him from _them_. He scared me too much and I hated him for it. I'd rather _they_ get him and keep him quiet for good.

He had nothing on the creature that would crawl out from under the spiral stairs.

I shivered thinking about him - thank goodness Mr. Wesker had the spooky dead people turned off until tomorrow during the party. I couldn't deal with seeing that creepy scene again before wondering off into my dreams - they would become nightmares.

I changed into a short night dress and crawled into bed. It was 22:41 [10:41 pm] and I was ready for today to end so tomorrow could start. When I reached to turn out my lamp, I heard the lounge door open, and then the hallway light flicked on.

"Goodnight Jake!" I called to him before flicking off my lamp.

I heard him come towards my door so I sat up to greet him before I called it a night. He came inside the room and crouched down beside my bed. I blushed, admiring everything about him. He was wearing a black short sleeve shirt and gray sweatpants, I couldn't tell if he was ready for sleep like I was - or if he was planning on working out before bed.

"Ready for tomorrow?" he asked me.

I nodded once. "Yeah, it's gonna be a long day."

He cupped my face so I scooted over to let him sit on the edge on my bed. "You'll do fine." he grinned. "And stop kicking _Freddy_ - ya know, the cabinet zombie?"

I frowned, rolling my eyes. "You put him there for me - didn't you?"

He laughed at my pain, so I hit him on the arm. "Ouch! Hey - come on, you know he likes you!"

I moved his hands from my face and giggled. "You're crazy! I don't like dead people." I pouted. "But really Jake, he scares me."

He chuckled, and then encased my face in his large hands once more. "It's all in good fun, Supergirl." he pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me. I blushed from his warmth. "So, you wanna watch a scary movie with me before you doze off?"

"I've gotta be up early tomorrow. Claire's going to do my hair and makeup so I'll probably be leaving around 9:00, plus Mar's gonna have to come with me so I can spare you and your father some time to finish your projects." I sighed. "Sorry Jake, I wish I could..."

He grumbled something and I noticed he sounded like a bear. "What if I drop you at Claire's and pick you up - you think you could spare me some time since you won't catch the bus?"

I exhaled shortly, pleased with his proposal. "Really? But I thought you would be busy?"

"I'll make time for you." he smirked and ran his thumb across my cheek.

"You really want me to spend time with you don't you?"

He chuckled softly, pulled me closer to bury his face in my nape. "I need you for a while - you like my company right?" I nodded, slowly, enjoying him. "Well, let's watch a movie together while we've got the time." he rose from the bed and pulled me along with him by both of my hands.

"Alright, you win." I breathed, completely flushed. "I'll go make us some slushies' and make some popcorn - you go set up the movie."

"Deal." he said and led me out into the hallway, my hand in his.

Five minutes later, I was curled up beside him on one of the lounge loveseats - ready to scream and beg for mercy whenever Freddy Krueger killed someone.

The name Freddy served a purpose after all.

_Jake you're such a jerk._

* * *

The next morning, I did the usual morning routine and then readied myself for the day. Jake had already made some coffee [his coffee was fantastic] so while I drank a small cup and called Claire to give her a heads up, Jake dressed Mar and afterwards I served him a little breakfast before showering and getting dressed myself. We met Jake at the front door, exited the house, got into his car and then pulled away from the home - making our way for Claire's.

"My belt hurts." Mar whined from the backseat. He never liked car seats but he would just have to get used to them and stop making excuses. Injuries always were his excuse - just like how he was on the airplane the first day I met him.

"We're almost there, Mar." I told him and reached back to pinch his cheek. He pouted a bit but ceased his complaints.

"What time you think you two will be done with the girly business?" Jake asked me, turning down a corner.

"Hm, maybe around noon, it never takes too long." I answered. "Considering my hair is so short." I added with a giggle.

"Your hair is fine." Jake stated. "It's perfect for your pretty face." he smirked.

I blushed and muttered a 'thank you' before telling him to make a left. We were on the block now so I grabbed my boxed up costume and got ready to hop out the car. When Jake pulled to stop in front of the house, I unfastened my belt and leaned over to give him a hug. He tried to hold me there for a moment but I reminded him of his brother's presence, to which he released me instantly.

I helped Mar out of his seat and then pulled him into my arms to get out of the car. As I walked up to Claire's door, I turned to wave Jake off but he stayed anyway - most likely making sure we made it inside safely. When Claire answered and snatched Mar away squealing about his cuteness, Jake beeped twice and we all waved to him as he drove off.

* * *

"Okay Marlowe, wanna watch some cartoons while the ladies do _lady_ stuff?" Claire asked him as he flicked on her TV.

"Can I watch Looney Tunes?" he asked with a chipper tone and she fulfilled his plea before coming into her kitchen with me.

I watched Mar climb onto her couch and sip from his little Sippy cup that he brought along with him. It was full of his favorite - grape juice of course.

"Alright, " Claire started with a clap. "Let me see the costume."

I blanched but knew she needed to see it in order to do my hair and makeup. "Okay, but promise me you won't shout and disturb Mar, got it?"

She tilted her head curiously. "Why? Is it that shocking?"

"Yeah..." I breathed.

She grinned and took the box from my hands to sit it on the kitchen table. I watched nervously as she opened it. Her eyes lit up and I prayed she wouldn't squeal - she promised she wouldn't get loud! Luckily, she just snickered like the killer doll Chucky and the first thing she pulled out was the feather duster followed by the cheeky lace thong.

"Oh my gosh," she sang while playing with the feather duster. She did a little twirl and then tickled my nose with it. When I sneezed, she snickered again. "You're gonna be absolute eye candy at the party _Miss Sherry_." she teased with a grin.

My face felt very hot. "Claire! Don't tease me!" I whined taking the duster from her. "I'm already aware of the fact that I may end up as the whore of the party." I exhaled helplessly.

Claire rolled her eyes. "Hush girly - you know damn well there's going to be a dominatrix at that party and some old chick who swears she looks good as a 40 year old school girl."

I perked up at that. "Hehe, I guess you're right." I hid the duster behind my back.

"Besides, I'm gonna be eye candy too - my costume is very sexy so you definitely won't be alone."

My jaw dropped. "Y-You're coming too?!" she nodded and I found myself squealing despite myself. "Oh my God that's great!" I hugged her and we rocked back and forth.

"Yep, your boss sent me an invitation a week ago." she chirped. "He said I could invite a friend so I figured I'd ask Steve, but he had a business trip to go on with his father and won't be back until next weekend." she sighed.

"You miss him, don't you?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I saw him before he left - kept a reminder of him for the days to come." she batted her lashes with a giggle and I knew what she was hinting.

"So, what can you do for me?" I changed the subject - I needed her to be finished with me by noon so I wouldn't hold up Jake.

She tapped her chin lightly. "Well, I'm thinking some dark eye liner around the eyes with some light hued eye shadow to add a little color variety to you. Your hair... I'll try to feather it and I'll add some extras wherever I see fit."

"Sounds good." I said with a smile. I heard Mar giggle cutely from her living room, something funny happened on Looney Tunes I assume.

"Alright, one last thing - before I doll you up, did you want me to help you figure out how to wear the costume?"

"Sure." I replied to which Claire closed the box to hand it to me.

"Go try it on in the bathroom, call me if you need anything. In the meantime, I'm gonna go sit with the baby until you come back."

* * *

I stood in front of the tall bathroom mirror, staring at myself as if I had no clue who I was.

The costume fit me very well - my long legs and curves were free for the world to admire and for once… I didn't care much. I actually thought I looked _sexy_ - and I loved it.

There were many layers to the costume, the first was the black strapless basque undergarment that tied in the back. It was accompanied by a cheeky thong with detachable garter stockings. The thong was black and lacy but the thigh high stockings were of the same color but shiny and sheer with a white ribbon around the top where they clung to my thighs.

Before putting on the second layer, Claire told me to put on the puffy white ruffle skirt as well as a silky black layer that covered the basque and hung loosely over the skirt - tying along my back with a white ribbon. The skirt was short, so short that if I bent over, everything was exposed - then again, even if I didn't, my ass cheeks were still visible.

The second layer was a simple black corset top that also tied behind my back, it was so tight I thought I would crack a rib. The last layer was the apron - a white transparent halter top with a small black tie up in the front of it - along the unconcealed area of my cleavage. The bottom of the apron stopped where my skirt did and like most of the rest of the costume, it tied in the back with string.

The heels I had to wear were black closed toe stilettos that tied around the ankle. On my hands were white sheer gloves with ruffles at the wrists and a little black bow. Around my neck was a matching choker and the last item for the costume was an accessory for my hair - a French maid headpiece that clipped onto the hair. It was black with white ruffles.

I never thought I would ever wear an outfit like this... _But if Jake likes it, I'll have to wear it for him more often. _I blushed - wondering would Jake actually think I looked good.

The door opened behind me and Claire's dramatic gasp startled me.

"Oh... my... God." she breathed out, her eyes were wide as she observed me up and down.

"What?" I asked, swallowing hard.

"You are one sexy piece of ass, Sherry!" she exclaimed, pretending to be near faint.

I flushed before a giggle escaped me. "Thanks Claire." I chimed.

_I think I look good too._

* * *

I was almost finished with another batch of party favors when Mr. Wesker walked into the kitchen, catching Mar and I off guard entirely. I greeted him with a smile and found myself blushing when he returned it. He was examining my hair from what I could tell.

It was very shiny after Claire gave me her special treatment. She had styled my hair so that one side hung over my right eye slightly while the rest feathered prettily around my head, almost cupping my face. Accompanied by my makeup [light blue and purple eye shadow with black eye liner - my eyes had a pretty smoky look to them unlike the usual watery semblance], I thought I looked beautiful.

Mr. Wesker's reaction had nothing on Jake's. As we drove home, every time he met a red light or reached a corner, his gaze would travel to me and he would smirk as always, but he kept trying to touch my face or run his fingers through my hair. I let him do it once, and then told him to cool it. It wasn't easy for him but once we made it back home, he left me alone. I guess he couldn't stop himself.

I was in my normal clothes for the time being - I didn't want to get dirty or sweat out my costume.

"Hi daddy!" Mar greeted joyfully as he wrapped his arms around one of his father's legs.

"Hello Marlowe," I watched with a smile as he picked him up into his arms. "You're behaving quite well aren't you?"

"Yep, we're making treats for the party!" he explained with a giant smile. He was being an excellent helper - he's very good at taste testing.

Mr. Wesker eyed me again and I smiled. "Miss Birkin, that's a wonderful picture you will be presenting for the party. Should go well with your costume, yes?"

I nodded bashfully. "Thank you, sir - Claire did it for me." I winked at Mar when he commented on me 'Always looking pretty'.

"Ms. Redfield you say?" his reaction to her name always unsettled me. "Will she be coming? I'd enjoy her presence."

I shifted, a bit uncomfortable with his fascination with my redheaded guardian. "Yes, she told me she'll be here, sir."

"Excellent." he purred, Marlowe started to play with the top to his turtle neck sweater, making him eye him oddly. "Marlowe, your Nanny needs to move her treats to the basement, you are to stay with Mrs. Chambers until she returns, you understand?"

Marlowe nodded enthusiastically. "Yes father."

Mr. Wesker released him slowly to the floor and followed behind the little genius slowly as the former raced for the stairs. "Miss Birkin, I will send Jake down to help you transfer your party favors to the basement. Wait here for a moment, I am sure he won't take long at all when it concerns _you_."

I caught his implication and felt my cheeks heat up. "Y-Yes of course, sir."

While I waited for Jake, I started stacking the numerous amounts of treats I'd made onto 2 very large trays. One tray had about 24 chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with icing and Halloween inspired sprinkles. The other had different types of cookies ranging from chocolate chip, peanut butter, snicker doodle and even sugar cookies.

I had some other projects going at the same time - on the stove I was deep frying some curly fries. On the bottom shelf of the oven, I was baking a couple pumpkin pies and cookies with M&M's in them. In the old fashioned bread oven, I was baking some cinnamon rolls and donuts - I planned to put chocolate over the donuts and add sprinkles to some.

Yep, Sheva and Claire had taught me very well.

Claire, Sheva and I had spent the last couple days coming up with recipes. They also really helped me with mixing drinks and identifying which ones were lightweights and heavyweights. We had tons of fun while doing so and I was sure I would bring a lot to the party when it started.

Just when I finished checking on the fries, Jake came in the kitchen and looked around before his eyes traveled to me. I smiled, blushing - he was impressed, good.

"Damn Supergirl," he breathed as he caught sight of a chocolate chip cookie I knew he wouldn't mind having. "You sure know how to work."

I popped his hand lightly as he reached for the cookie. "No touching, mister! You'll have to wait!" I giggled at his pouty face.

"Oh come on already! I've done a lot today - including be a taxi for you and I can't have just one cookie?" he looked desperate - I had to refrain from bursting into a fit of laughter at him.

"Jake!" when he reached again, I popped him. "Jake, please - tell you what, help me take these trays to the basement and I'll give one cookie of your choosing."

"Hell yeah!" he snatched up a tray without a second thought and made a break for the basement.

After checking on the fries once again, I followed behind him. Finally I would get to see the basement!

It was beyond my wildest dreams.

Upon reaching the basement, the first thing I saw was the Bar. It was lengthy, with about ten stools for sitting around the counter [there was an undead guy set up on one of the seats - luckily he along with the rest of them were turned off until the party started] and behind the counter was a large glass cabinet containing bottles of numerous kinds of whiskey, champagne, and I could even make out some vodka among others [the whole place was littered with spider webs and some almost realistic blood splattered across the glass]. There was also a huge twin door fridge and freezer. The floor around the area was wood and there was a small door on the floor behind the counter.

There was an L-shaped part beside the stairs that had red carpet with five circular tables and the chairs around the tables were also round-like. In the center of each table was a large imprint full of ice that held a bottle of any type of drink. One of the tables had a giant creature propped up behind it. I feared for the sucker who sat there.

Across from the bar there was an oval shaped opening covered by very pretty beads. I had no idea what was through there from where I was standing but I wanted to see. Past this opening and the Bar, there was a hallway but right along it was a large glass window with the curtains drawn. I wondered where that led.

I wanted to see the rooms but I knew I couldn't - I was much too busy. Jake snapped me out of my wonderland.

"You like it down here?" he asked me, taking my tray from me to sit it on the bar counter.

"It's amazing!" I beamed, hoping one day I would be able to hang out down there just like Jake did every day.

"I'll show you around if you like?" he took my hand.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. I had responsibilities to handle. "Sorry Jake, I've gotta finish cooking." I turned away to make my way for the stairs, dragging him along with me.

"Alright, so - how many more items to move before I get my cookie?"

I laughed. "Not much more - I promise."

_Sorry Jake, there's a __**lot **__more._

* * *

I pulled at my short, short skirt once again as I stood in the upstairs bathroom. Mr. Wesker had taken Mar with him so I could get dressed and that was great because my nerves were shot.

I looked incredibly sexy, but I felt a combination of excitement and hysteria - the party would start in exactly 30 minutes. I couldn't wait to greet everyone but I wasn't sure what Jake and Mr. Wesker had planned. Jake warned me that tonight was going to be a bit extra and that scares were going to be insane.

Even worse, the dead people downstairs were turned on and Jake had even added some more of them to the basement. The undead freaks scared the crap out of the pizza guy when he came to the front door. Poor guy never saw that dead guy crawling behind Mr. Wesker, he was so scared he almost took off without paying once he did see him - but I saw the creep because I was on the second floor - I'd just fought off the dude from the staircase and was too terrified to help.

Mr. Wesker didn't even help _me_ when it happened!

I sighed before walking out of the bathroom, my heels clicked across the tile and then the wood when I exited. I ran my feather duster along the wall before I heard someone call out to me.

It was Mrs. Stephanie.

I wiggled my behind into her room and her eyes lit up as she covered her mouth - stifling her laughs.

"No, no - you look good dear!" she choked out as I blushed embarrassed. "Really good! In fact you're beautiful, it's just - why Albert picked these costumes for my babies is beyond my comprehension!"

"Who else did he pick?" I asked, I knew she'd known about Mar, Jake and I but I was just curious.

"Rebecca's," she sniffed away a chuckle. "She's a sight to see too!"

I couldn't wait to see her.

I sat on the edge of her bed beside her, giving her a small hug. "I wish you could come." I pouted. "Mar is adorable - you'd love him."

She smiled a little and just patted my hands in hers. "It's okay - I wish I could too, but I'm fine here. My strength isn't the same and it's best I don't push it, but I would love to see the little angel…"

"I understand, ma'am." I hugged her one last time before rising to up to leave. "I'm honestly a little nervous..."

"You'll be fine, Sherry. You're good at charming people." she told me and I felt confident again.

"Thanks ma'am," I said sweetly. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know."

"I just wish I could taste some candy," she started before I left. "I haven't had any chocolate in a while."

I smiled. "I'll see to it that you do!" I winked to her before exiting.

* * *

By 16:30 [4:30 pm] the entire house was packed with people right on time. The amount of mortified screams from women and men never ceased for a moment and I could fully understand why.

The house was full of scares that even I didn't know about. The formal dining hall had projector monsters that would scream at you and make realistic lightning effects. The guys that helped Jake and Mr. Wesker earlier were dressed up in some freaky looking outfits and they chased people through the house, throwing severed hands at them or even snatching them up themselves.

I had no idea Mr. Wesker and Jake were capable of thinking up ideas like this. It was literally an undead house party.

The house itself looked different. When the sun went down, all the lights in the house were turned off, instead, there was a fog everywhere, light green in color that lit the place - and people were given little lanterns to walk around with that came inside their gift bags or if they were unlucky like I was, they could just get a crappy glow stick...

_That does nothing to help me see in the damn dark!_

The lightning effects were incredible - they came out of nowhere, even worse, you never knew when someone was going to grab you - if that creepy mass of darkness in the corner was a person or a figment of your imagination - or if someone was following you.

I'd been grabbed twice and carried away to the laundry room aka the evil lair. If I was one of the guests, I would have been forced to stay there until someone I knew came and got me. If they never did, I was stuck for countless minutes. I felt bad for the guests, that room was super dark and there were 'dead people' in there if you wondered around too much.

It was almost hilarious that every time I was caught, I was about to stuff my face with a cake or something. I guess I had no right to indulge myself.

With a small platter in hand, I emerged from the basement with six glasses containing a drink called _Death in the Afternoon_ - as per a few gentlemen's requests. I knew it was a strong drink but I wasn't allowed to question any of Mr. Wesker's guests, just serve them.

"Here you are, sir." I chirped over the sounds of screaming from somewhere in the house.

The man was wearing a Dracula costume, he wasn't particularly handsome, but he wasn't hideous either. "Thank you," he purred with a failed attempt at Dracula's voice. "Aren't you a precious drink to behold?"

_Um, no thank you sir. _I smiled crookedly and made my leave from him immediately.

I passed out a few more drinks and after some time, I came around with little cakes for people to enjoy. It was so dark, I think I served people three times in a row – that would explain why some were passed out in corners or sexing each other with their clothes on.

I still couldn't spot anyone I knew - not even Jake or Mr. Wesker. I wondered what Jake's costume looked like. Was he someone dark and mysterious - or was he one of the evil guys that snatched me up? When I thought about it, the former was quite possible. I mean, the guy did grope me a few times and he wasn't the only one.

When it's dark and all you have for light is a glow stick hanging from your apron pouch, there isn't much you can do to stop perverts. Hell – you couldn't see them!

I offered some cinnamon rolls to a group of girls as scantily clad as I was - they eagerly took them. My glow stick slid out of my apron pouch then and I bent over to pick it up. It was dark - no one could really see my goods hanging out right?

I felt someone grip my hips from behind me and I sat up immediately - feeling flushed when they pulled me against them, hugging me there.

"I see I did pick a perfect costume for you, didn't I, _Mistress_?"

I recognized the voice immediately - I felt absolute relief that this person holding me wasn't some perverted guy.

It was Ms. Excella.

_Wait - did she say she picked my costume?_

"Hello, Ms. Excella," I greeted her meekly, unable to budge with her arms so tight around me.

"Hi, Mistress, are you having a good time?" she purred while rubbing her cheek against mine.

"I-I guess so, besides the creeps coming after me." I joked bashfully. What was with people and their love for holding me?

"Hm, you should stick with Albert like I am - no one gets passed him." she hummed, slightly fondling me around my chest area.

I never felt so embarrassed - not even Helena _fondled _me. "I can't find anyone. I've been alone all this time, I can't even find Jake..."

She giggled fervid in nature. "If I see him, I'll have him come to you. After all, I picked this for you - with him in mind." she emphasized the 'this' by gripping my chest area.

My faced burned from blush. _Oh my gosh, Ms. Excella picked this costume for me to seduce him - didn't she? Oh gosh, this is insane. _

"And don't worry, Mistress - my touches mean no harm, I'm only giving you an extra boost for when you're alone with _him_."

I was about to question her but she pulled away. In the darkness, I could somewhat make out her costume - it was definitely a dominatrix outfit accompanied with a whip, full leather body suit and the ample view of her breasts via the split down the front.

I watched her walk away and stood there feeling bothered - for all the wrong reasons. I straightened out my clothes and figured I would find someone - Claire, Rebecca, or hell - Mr. Wesker so I could feel a little better.

If I found Jake, I wasn't sure how I would behave at the moment.

Ms. Excella really got to me. I felt _aroused_. As embarrassing at it was, I couldn't deny it - but why I was so ready for Jake was beyond my comprehension.

* * *

When there was a break in requests from the guests, I went to check on Mar and the other kids. They were fine, having fun playing games and scaring each other in the dark. The oldest kid was eight years old and he was quite mature for his age - he looked out for the rest while I took care of matters downstairs. He even showed the younger kids how to play racing games on the Wii.

I was unaware earlier but one of the children - a little girl named Leila had a Nanny of her own who was also present, but she wasn't partying, instead she was looking after the kids in my absence. She was an older lady, almost 60 and very calm, reserved. While the eight year old [his name was Avery] played with everyone, she sat on a couch in the corner, reading a book and making sure no one hurt one another.

I was grateful - at least now I didn't have to run up and down the stairs so often anymore. Though this wasn't helping my lust for Jake. At least when I worried for the kids I didn't feel that intense need to find him and press against him. The last and closest time I felt something like this was nearly two weeks ago when I was naked in his arms.

_I'm really not helping myself here..._

Mar followed me into the hallway before I made my leave. "Nanny Bear..." he whined and I kneeled over to look him in the eye. "We were supposed to go trick or treating..."

I felt knots in my stomach. "I... I'll go ask your dad... Okay sweetheart?"

He nodded, enthusiastically. "I hope he says yes, I've never been trick or treating!"

I bit my lip. _I hope so too._

* * *

I ran as fast as I could in my stilettos, though that wasn't much. Another giant freak was chasing me and I wanted to bolt for the basement before he could catch me.

Just as I turned into the lounge, I crashed into someone only to feel them catch me in their arms before I fell to the ground.

He was dressed as pirate, wearing an eye patch, a hat, long red coat, pants and boots. I liked the costume and under the small lighting in the lounge, I couldn't help but notice he looked familiar.

My jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"_Leon_?!" I cried out surprised.

"..._Sherry_?" he was just as shocked as I was.

A second later we hugged tightly and I had to fight hard not to let tears fall from my eyes and mess up my make-up. I couldn't believe it was him! I hadn't seen him since I moved to Europe with Claire. It was almost like I was dreaming - my father figure - no, my_ father _was actually with me!

He pulled away and helped me to stand. I hugged him again and he laughed. "Sherry, by God I had no idea who you were..." he pulled away to observe my outfit and he looked mortified for a second before it changed to outrage. "What on earth are you wearing?"

"My boss's business partner brought this for me." I answered with a blush, fidgeting with my gloves. "Before you start jumping to conclusions - it's a woman."

He blinked. "Ahem, well - that's odd."

I grinned sheepishly. _I'll say. _"Yeah, it is."

He crossed his arms over his chest and showed his serious face I was so used to. He was handsome as always but I thought of him as a father so I didn't admire him that way. "If anyone tries to harass you, let me know. I won't stand for it."

I giggled, figuring I'd entertain him. "Okay, I will. Leon, how come you didn't tell me you were coming here? You knew I worked here - why didn't you say anything?"

He chuckled. "It was a surprise. Believe it or not, I know Albert from my early days at the Academy. He used to be a coach for me. When you told me he was your boss, I knew you were in hands and I'm glad he invited me so I could see you again, kiddo."

I hugged him once more and smiled. "Me too! I'm sure Claire will be happy to see you here too."

"Claire's here?" I nodded, though I hadn't seen her – it wasn't baseless to assume she could very well be present without my awareness. "Wow - that's great, oh by the way, there's someone I want you to meet." he turned and signaled to a woman nearby.

She was dressed in a short red and black almost kimono dress with thigh high stockings and heels. Her sleeves were very long to the floor. Her face was painted white with odd makeup and blood dripping from her eyes. Her hair was short like mine she had bangs combed down over her forehead. She looked scary, sexy and cool at the same time.

"Sherry, this is Ada Wong. We work together from time to time and she was also invited, we decided to come together."

I shook her hand, she had beautiful eyes and I noticed her bottom lip was painted red but not the top. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sherry."

She laughed softly and I noticed she had a very sultry voice when she spoke. "Nice to meet you too, Sherry - Leon's always going on about how you've got nerves of steel."

I giggled. "I do my best. By the way, may I ask what you're supposed to be? It's interesting – I haven't seen anyone else look as cool as you do."

"Not even me?" Leon half-whined followed by a laugh.

"You look fine, Leon." she told him with a smirk. "I'm a supposed to be a ghost. Ever heard of a Jiangshi? They are Chinese vampire ghosts… or zombies – whichever you prefer."

"Cool." I breathed with a smile. Just then, someone called out for me to bring them a _Dark and Stormy_. "Oh, well - I've got people to serve - shall we meet up and chat again soon? I gotta tell you everything before you leave!"

Leon patted my shoulder softly. "Sounds great, kiddo and don't worry, I'll be here for a couple days before heading back to the states."

I grinned and gave him one more hug, then Ada and headed for the basement. "Enjoy the party!" I shouted to them.

* * *

It was closing in on 17:30 [5:30 pm] and I still hadn't seen Claire or Jake. I was starting to feel a little down.

I figured Jake would come find me but he hadn't - was he too busy? As for Claire, she probably would arrive soon - she loved parties and free drinks.

I couldn't even find Mr. Wesker. I wanted to see about taking Mar trick or treating before the night was over. I had let the little guy down once - I didn't want to risk doing it again.

I'll be honest, I was also looking for someone to protect me from the assholes who kept snatching me up.

I paused when the sound of a piano echoed through the house. It came from the formal dining room so that was where I headed. The song being played sounded a lot like a tune my father expected me to play. I recognized it as _Fantaisie-Impromptu_, by Frédéric Chopin. It wasn't an easy piece to master, whoever the player was - they were extraordinarily talented.

I ducked and dodged around a shadowed figure, sure they would try and snatch me. I made it through the dining room and into the music room/art gallery. There were people surrounding the grand piano and I fell into the crowd where I could.

There were girls fawning over the pianist. He wasn't all too easy to see with the mask he was wearing. I could make out short buzz cut hair on his head but the color was beyond me because of the crazy lights. He also wore a long dark cape along with some rather old-fashioned European gentleman's clothes. I watched quietly as his fingers danced along the keys of the piano - they were covered by black gloves. This man was surely trying to remain a mystery.

"It's him!" I heard one girl say nearby. "That's the phantom guy!"

"I wonder who he is?" a girl said beside me, she was dressed as a slutty schoolgirl but had a little something extra with her cat ears and tail. She wasn't talking to me in particular but I fancied I needed a friend more than anything right now.

"He's probably going to jump out at us any second now." I joked.

She looked at me and giggled - I noticed she had some striking golden blonde hair. "Yeah, probably! And if he did - I wouldn't mind, he's a total stud."

I smirked a bit, amused by her proposition. "I don't know - I've been kidnapped way too often today. I'd rather lie low and avoid strange people for the rest of the evening."

"You too?" she gasped. "Man, I thought I was the only one. I'm Ashley, by the way - Ashley Graham." she extended her hand for me to take and I did.

"Sherry Birkin, glad to make your acquaintance." her name... it was familiar - but I couldn't place it yet.

As the pianist took a dramatic pause, I noticed she and I both grimaced at the same time. I knew I was doing it because I was afraid something crazy was about to happen, I was sure she probably was thinking the same way. We both let out a sigh of relief as he cracked his knuckles and started playing _Moonlight Sonata_.

"He's incredible, isn't he?" I breathed. I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew who the man was. If it weren't for the lights, I probably would know - I had seen all the workers Mr. Wesker hired, there were quite a few that had a similar haircut.

"Very," she agreed. "Oh look - " she pointed across from us at a tall blonde haired male wearing an army fatigue suit. He was standing beside a man wearing all black... _Mr. Wesker - finally! _"There's my father - he was President a few years ago - I'm telling you that because I'm not sure you would know being in England and such - and that other man Albert Wesker, he's hosting this crazy party!"

_Oh yeah! She's Ashley Graham, the President's daughter that Leon had to save! _I felt like it was just too small of a world. Here I was, standing with the former President's daughter - she was actually quite nice. It was because of her that Leon's portfolio was very prominent - he was able to save her from a very dangerous situation.

"I know, believe or not, I work for Mr. Wesker." I answered slowly, ready to bolt for Mr. Wesker in case he made a move to leave, I would not be left alone and I was anxious to find Jake. I also was a little nervous Ashley wouldn't want to be seen with the housekeeper...

"You do? Wait - are you the housekeeper?" she asked me with a raised brow.

"Yea..." I blushed, grinning sheepishly. I hoped she didn't get turned off by the fact that I was the hired help. I actually would love to be around her so I could tell her I knew Leon and maybe we could get along.

He saved us both at one point in our lives.

She paused, staring at me for a moment. "I thought that costume was just for show but it's the real deal - heh, that's pretty funny."

"So, you're not bothered by my job?"

"Nah, you're fine Sherry. I don't make many friends so I can't be very picky."

I grinned - I liked her a lot.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and was delighted to see it was Mr. Wesker. I almost wanted to hug him. I noticed he wasn't wearing a costume but didn't mention it. I excused myself from Ashley's company when he signaled me to follow him. I saw her nod but make her way towards her father - the former president Graham.

Mr. Wesker lured me around the crowd and up to the pianist as he finished his piece. Up close, I finally realized he was supposed to be Erik from the Phantom of the Opera, his mask covered the left side of his face. I blushed, wondering who the man behind the costume was - even more curious since Mr. Wesker brought me over to meet him.

"Miss Birkin, it would be in your best interest to stay with Jake." I gasped. "At least this way, you won't have to kick my workers again."

"Jake?" I whispered meekly as I leaned over the piano to look him in the face.

He raised his head and I nearly fainted when he smirked at me. I felt like I was dreaming. He was so handsome in his costume - though he was hot no matter what he wore. His half mask covered the where his scar was, whether it was intentional or not was beyond me. I couldn't believe the master pianist was him!

We just stared at each other, I rested my cheek on my palm and felt blush creep onto my face. I jumped when I felt Mr. Wesker pull on my skirt in the back. I jumped up and smoothed it down so that it 'covered' me better. I knew I felt a breeze but I was careless. My ass was just displayed to a nice amount of people and I felt I would die of embarrassment.

"S-sorry Mr. Wesker..." I breathed, putting my hands together practically begging him not to be angry.

He wasn't, he just nodded and did some sort of gesture to Jake before walking away. I descried that a lot of the men in the room were obviously very pleased with the view I'd unintentionally given and I felt tears stinging my eyes. I fiddled with the feather duster in my hand and tried to ignore my feelings of shame.

I heard Jake stand up behind me. He wrapped an arm around my waist before doing some sort of gesture with his other hand. I saw he was smirking and I had no idea why until every light in the room went out and then a loud crack of thunder and lightning came - followed by an uproar of terrified screams.

I felt around for something or someone and found nothing. _Where did Jake go?!_ I panicked a bit, completely blinded by the dark. I searched my pouch for the crappy glow stick I used for light - shook it twice and it lit up.

There was someone standing right in front of me. I almost screamed until a gloved hand covered my mouth.

"Shh..." it was Jake. I felt my heart begin to race and it wasn't because I was scared. "Come on, follow me."

_I'll follow you to the end of the earth and back. _I leered to him in the dark as he wrapped an arm around my waist once again and led me away into the darkness.

* * *

He opened a door and once he led me inside, I realized it was the bathroom - the one just passed Mr. Wesker's room. Jake took my glow stick from me and put it in the middle of the floor to light the room just enough. Everything glowed green and even creepier than it did in the front room, but at least there weren't any giant snatching bullies or undead freaks.

I groaned, feeling my feet start to cramp in my heels. I made my way over the large marble tub. Sitting on the edge, I leaned over and began to untie the ribbons around my ankle when Jake moved swiftly and caught me off guard as he wrapped his hand around mine and stopped me.

"Jake please, my feet are _killing me_." I said, almost subtly. I couldn't really see him in the light. He was wearing so much black, but I could see the mask. He looked quite scary honestly.

He was kneeled down in front of me, giving me a strange look - I didn't know what to do. I was stuck in a small room with Jake Wesker - he could very well be looking to scare me, harass me, prank me or hell - he might seduce me with the costume he was wearing.

I don't think I would fight much if he did want me that way.

"Don't do that _Naughty girl_... you look so _beautiful_." he almost sang his words, I liked it.

I felt flush and shivered when I felt his hand travel up from my ankle, to ghost over the back of my calf and slowly upwards until he reached my thigh. He didn't touch me but I felt tingly from the odd sensation I was experiencing.

"Your legs are so… long and – I just want to…" he trailed off, I wondered why.

"Jake, what are you doing?" I whispered as he lifted me from the tub by my waist - pressing me flush against him. I was feeling light headed from his attention.

"Shh..." he put his finger to my lips and I was losing my mind now. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe from the big baddies outside - I promise." he came closer to my face, a smirk plastered on his. He was so tall, so warm, so enticing.

"You… look great." I sighed, pushing against him.

"Really now? Good, cuz I'm only wearing this for you." he grinned and I felt like I was going to faint. "My dad got me this – had the mask specially made to cover my scar. The mask is actually supposed to cover the right side of the phantom's face."

I giggled a bit. "I like it on you – and you play the piano beautifully."

"I like your outfit more. I always thought you were _nice and supple_ – remember?" he purred softly. "I could play piano for you any time you like, Sherry. I'm pretty good with my hands after all." he sighed, almost blissfully. "I… want to – _touch_ you… I think."

I needed to come up with an excuse to get away from him before I did something completely reckless. "J-Jake, I um, I need to -"

He silenced me again by burying his face into my nape. I felt his lips phantom over my neck. Why was he torturing me like this? "I'm not trying to upset you, _naughty girl_. I just don't want to lose you like earlier. Every time I caught you, you got away."

_So he __**was**__ the one who kept snatching me up! No wonder I kept getting targeted. Ever since he started playing the piano, I wasn't chased or anything!_

"Then I saw you in that _guy's_ arms." I saw his visible eye harden and his arms tightened around me. "I told you before, I'll be your master - as long as you belong to me and only **me**. So why were you hugging some random **dude**?" he growled.

I shook my head, completely confused by his words. "W-What guy?" I wondered nervously. I hadn't been close to anyone except Ms. Excella and...

_Leon_.

I blinked innocently as he glared down at me. "Jake, please - this is a misunderstanding – that _dude_ wasn't just anyone, he was -"

"What more do you want from me, Sherry?" he asked almost desperate despite his hard gaze. "I _think_ I know what I want from you – what do you want from _me_?"

My heart softened. He was jealous - of Leon? It was cute on him, but I hated the idea of him feeling like he had to compete with anyone for me. I never thought I'd see the day some guy would be jealous or possessive of me. Now I knew why Claire liked that quality in a guy so much.

"Jake, come outside with me - I want you to meet _Leon_." I said with a smile.

The realization hit him and I noticed the steely gaze he once had was abated. He remembered the name from the times I told him my history.

I wrapped my arms around his middle and peered up at his handsome 'half-face' in the green glow. "I want you to meet the man who saved my life."

* * *

Jake followed behind me quietly as I searched around for Leon. I finally found him in the basement, sitting at the bar beside Ada - both were drinking a little champagne and laughing about something. I strode towards them, making sure Jake was following. He was but he was also trying hard to keep other women from groping him.

Poor guy, he had no idea how ravishing he looked.

The basement also had the smoky atmosphere but it was more or less with a blue hue. I could see people emerging from every room in sight. All the different costumes just made the whole scenery so amazing.

"Leon, Ada – sorry I took so long to find you guys," I greeted them. "This is Jake, I work for him and Mr. Wesker."

Leon stood up and extended his hand for Jake to take. "Jake Wesker, it's nice to meet you – Sherry says a lot about you whenever I talk to her." I whined when he laughed at me, a hot blush came to my face.

Jake eyed him funny, he was being unresponsive and a jerk to one of the most important men in my life - so I elbowed him. After a few awkward moments, he returned the gesture and shook hands with him, much to my relief. "Nice to meet ya, _Hero_." he deadpanned and I wondered about that nickname but said nothing.

Ada observed Jake with a small smirk. "Well, well - if it isn't Wesker Jr. You look handsome tonight." she chuckled softly, I was sure she was just teasing him for fun.

I could have sworn I saw Jake blush a bit at her compliment, but he never took his eyes off Leon. The poor guy was confused by the hostility but Leon was a nice guy – he never intentionally engaged in conflict, he sooner made friends than enemies.

He simply shrugged and turned back to Ada. "We're having a great time, Sherry – how about you?"

"The best." I chimed, I glanced to Jake, sighed and took his hand, giving it a squeeze to assure him everything was fine. "Jake, Leon's taken care of me for a while now, he and Claire - "

"_Claire_ what?" I stopped and whirled around to see the woman I called a mother.

She was a referee and boy did she look great. She had a black cap on top of her loosely curled red hair and a whistle around her neck. Her top was short, stopping just beneath her breasts where it was fastened with a button. Her cleavage was revealed and I also noted the little Mickey Mouse accessory that pierced her belly button. Her shorts were solid black and short enough to show her ass cheeks. I just adored her shoes, they were a hybrid of converse sneakers and boots, riding all the way up to her thighs.

I threw my arms around her and squealed when she lifted me from the floor. "Claire!" I cheered. "I thought I would never see you here!" I felt someone tugging my skirt down in the back - this time it wasn't Mr. Wesker - it was Ada.

"Sherry! I would never miss a party! I love drinks." she released me with a wink. "I was running late but luckily Piers and Helena were on their way here and gave me a ride!"

"Piers and Helena?" I looked over and saw the two of them were behind Claire.

Piers was dressed as Harry Potter and Helena was a very sexy Hermione with a super short dress and tall stilettos. I hugged them both - Helena was hard to escape from. I was glad to see them at the party too.

Jake told us all to have a seat at the round tables once they were cleared. We took chairs and I found myself sitting on his lap while everyone gathered around.

Everyone was having such a good time. We joked, shared stories and I nearly died of laughter when Helena tried to give Piers a lap dance. Poor guy nearly fainted - he was so smitten with her he couldn't handle it. Claire was relentless with her teasing too - she started flirting with Ada for laughs but things took a serious turn. Leon warned her that Ada was aggressive. She really should have listened - by the time she realized her danger, Ada had her pinned down and was trying to kiss her.

It was like Helena and I in the future or something.

I noticed Jake and Leon were having a little chat and the hostility seemed to have finally left between the two of them. I felt as if my troubles were appeased.

I felt Jake shift me a little, making me move closer to him. I was sitting stiffly on his lap, I was so bashful with all of this that I was afraid to do anything that might arouse him or something. He pulled me back against him and brought his mouth close to my ear.

"I've got self-control _naughty girl_, don't worry about me." he whispered, a smirk plastered his face once he pulled away. I blushed, batted my eyelashes and then wiggled on him just to get a reaction.

So much for self-control because the moment I did that, something moved down _there_.

Somehow, the conversation drifted off onto the topic of Leon's job to which Ada mentioned his encounter with some children who beat him up and he was helpless to stop them.

I laughed until something clicked for me. _Children... _

_Oh God - Marlowe! _

I hopped up from Jake's lap and made for the steps - confusing the hell out of everyone. "Sorry guys - I'll be back there's something I have to do!" I called and moved my tired self the upstairs.

I heard Jake follow behind me once I made it out of the lounge and into the hallway. I was going to wiggle my sweet ass up the spiral staircase before he stopped me.

"What's going on, Supergirl?" he pulled me by the hand so that was closer to him.

"Jake - I ... Mar really wanted to go trick or treating - but I forgot to ask Mr. Wesker and now I think he's going to hate me because I just can't ever seem to keep my prom - "

He put his finger to my lips, silencing me. "Come on, let's go talk to him."

I nodded wearily, ready to break down if Mar was upset with me. I wanted to maintain my promises with him but every single time I let him down - it made me feel sick.

* * *

While the other kids were playing around in the room, Mar sat quietly in the corner, coloring pictures with black crayon. He was disappointed - again and I was responsible. Jake walked through the hordes to pick him up - while he usually lit up with joy from the gesture, instead, he looked miserable.

"Come on, little guy - let's talk." Jake said, sitting down against the doorframe to the playroom, Mar was in his arms, completely unresponsive.

I sat beside him, my arm rested on Jake's as I tried to look Mar in the face to apologize. I tried to open my mouth, but the words just wouldn't come out. I felt like I was about to cry until Jake wrapped an arm around my waist to comfort me.

"Mar..." I started shakily. "I'm _so_ sorry... It's like no matter what I do I just let you down." I was disgusted with myself. Had I not been so distracted I would have remembered.

He said nothing and I lowered my head in shame. Jake spoke up. "Let's make it up to you, kid - wanna go out for some pizza?"

Mar smiled a little and nodded, I felt relieved but just a little. "Can... my friends come too?" he asked quietly.

Jake and I looked inside the room at the costume club of children. I glanced at him, sending him a pleading look. He sighed and nodded to Mar with a small smile. "Sure, little man - come on." he stood up, lifting Mar with him. His other hand extended to me to help me stand up, I took it and gave it a squeeze. "Okay, go tell your friends to get ready and let that other Nanny know the plan."

"Okay!" Mar beamed and ran inside the room. He looked so cute in his costume.

I pulled Jake away from the doorway, stood on my tippy toes [I had removed my heels at the foot of the stairs before we climbed them.] and threw my arms around his neck, careful not to hit him with the heels I'd held in one hand. "Thank you." I repeated over and over.

His arms slowly came around my lower back, he held me there for a moment before replying. "No problem, Supergirl. Now, there's something I need you to do." I pulled away to listen to him. "Go get your phone because we're gonna be out for a while."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

He grinned. "Let's surprise them - after pizza, we'll take 'em down a couple blocks so they can trick or treat for a while." My jaw dropped and he 'shh'ed me. "It's a surprise okay?" he winked.

I threw my arms around him again and debated wrapping my legs around his waist and humping him. I worshipped him at that moment. He was my hero.

"What can I ever do to repay you?" I breathed, overjoyed.

His face was serious as he contemplated my question. "Tonight, when everyone's asleep... I'd like it if you would let me get _closer_ to you." he whispered, his voice was just so husky, it made me flush.

I kind of knew what he meant - he wanted to get closer and get passed the awkwardness we had. Every time he touched me, I would stiffen or shy away - he wanted us to have more alone time so I could get used to him.

It was sweet of him. He wanted to break down my walls as well as his own by letting himself express his desires with me - without boundaries.

He was so sweet in his own tough guy kind of way.

I closed my eyes and felt my face heat up. "Sure, let's take it slowly - please?" I whispered. "I'm not used to being close like this."

"Me neither." he said with a small chuckle.

Something about that statement interested me. Was it possible that Jake was just like me?

A _virgin_?

_No way... he's too gorgeous... __Then again, it would explain his awkward tendencies whenever it comes to my body…_

"Come on, sweet girl - I need to borrow Dad's truck for all these rascals." he said with a light chuckle. The kids came pouring out of the room and ushering us down the stairs. "And I need to tell your _Hero_ and the rest where we're going."

I took Jake's hand in mine and felt absolute solace when I felt Mar take my other. He was smiling and that made me feel so much better. I lifted him into my arms and waited by the front door for Jake to show up with his dad's keys. A minute later, he returned and we all flocked outside to the truck.

As I buckled Mar into his car seat, I smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead. He had no idea of the plans and that was great - I wanted to make him happy and thanks to Jake I could.

I recalled my promise to give Mrs. Stephanie some chocolate and thought of a little scheme of my own for when we returned. After accomplishing Mar and Mrs. Stephanie's desires, I would entertain Jake with my company. He deserved a lot for the things he's done for me recently.

_But just what can I offer him?_

* * *

A/N: Longest chapter yet! Hope you enjoyed it because I sure did! XD

Woo, getting pretty hot in here! Okay, next chapter the story rating will rise from T to M. Not sure about lemons but I can supply if they will not cause awkwardness to the fic.

Lemons won't be too soon though, but scenes are probably going to start getting more than average type of steamy. Sherry and Jake are taking things slowly so we'll have to be patient. :D

I love Leon's pirate outfit in RE6, he looks so cute I simply had to keep it the same in here. I hope you guys/girls like everyone else's costumes too. Rebecca will be in the next chapter – sorry she didn't show up in this one.

Thanks for all the reviews and feedback everyone! I appreciate them. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to ask.

See you when Eye Candy Part 2 of Halloween night comes. ;)

-Vio


	10. Tricks & Treats

Chapter 10:

Tricks & Treats [Eye Candy Part 2]

* * *

Jake and I sat across from each other [with Mar beside me] eating and chatting to each other while the kids did the quite the same. They were enjoying their pizza and occasionally gazing out the window at other costume clad individuals, commenting on their attire and comparing to see whose was better - eventually they finished eating and left the table to play with one of the arcade game machines nearby.

I reached over to adjust the napkin I'd tucked along Mar's collar. Luckily he hadn't saturated the thin tissue paper with sauce - I dreaded the idea of that sauce getting on his costume, it would be a headache to remove.

"Are you finished, Mar?" I asked upon noticing his anxiousness to get away from me, he wanted to join the others I assumed.

"I wanna play!" he whined, tugging from me. I wrapped my arms around his little body to prevent him from falling onto the floor, and then planted him gently on the floor allowing him freedom to do as he pleased.

"Remember to stay where we can see you!" I called to all of them.

"So, you ready?" Jake asked me suddenly, he was very much ready to start his plan.

I nodded. "We just need to get some bags for them to put their candy in."

"I'll handle it." he said, standing from his seat. "You just keep an eye on them for sec. I'm gonna go to the store across the street and grab some pumpkin heads for 'em - meanwhile, you just keep them distracted 'til I come back, got it?"

"Right" I confirmed.

I stood up, fixing my thin beige coat [It wasn't long but at least it was longer than my skirt was and reached my mid-thigh] as I watched him exit. The kids were so distracted playing the game that they failed to notice Jake's absence. I approached them all and helped them fix their costumes and jackets. Luckily we had taken care of bathroom breaks a little before the pizza was served to us so I didn't have to concern myself with that problem.

Jake came to the door some time later and waved for us to follow him outside. I scooped Mar into my arms and we left out in a line.

In total, we had six kids to look after: Mar, Avery (8 years old, a fireman), Leila (5 years old, she was Beauty from Beauty and the Beast), Tommy (4 years old, dressed as Sheriff Woody from Toy Story), Ricky (5 years old, he was Luigi), and Beatrice (7 years old, a Pink Power Ranger).

Once the kids piled into the truck, Jake pulled me around towards the trunk and whispered in my ear, "Okay, we're gonna pull up to a block, and then we'll tell 'em."

"Got it." I giggled.

* * *

"We don't wanna go back..." Ricky whined, folding his arms and sticking out his bottom lip.

"Yeah, that room is boring." Leila added.

I turned to them, smiling a bit. "I'm sorry, if only we could do something to cheer you up more..."

"I wish we could go trick or treating." Avery voiced. "My parents never let me go. They always say they don't have the time or it's stupid."

I glanced to Jake, his brows were furrowed as he concentrated on the road. "Um, I don't think it's stupid at all - believe it or not, I never went trick or treating myself."

"Really, Nanny Bear?" Mar asked me curiously.

I nodded. "Yep, I never had a chance but like you, I always wanted to. I'm too old for it now though, that's for sure."

"You look so young though," said Beatrice. "You look like you're 15 years old."

I giggled at that. "That young? Wow, I guess I don't age much."

"She looks like a _woman_ to me." Jake said with a smirk, he winked at me and I fought a blush with everything I had.

"Have you ever been trick or treating, Jake?" Leila questioned, blushing. I thought it was cute - she obviously had a little crush on Jake.

"Yep, but I stopped years ago. Don't ask why, it's a bit too crazy for words."

I leaned over to whisper in his ear. "May _I_ ask?"

"I'll tell you later."

Jake slowed the truck once we reached a very lively area with lots of kids running door to door. The houses were big and fancy - though not as fancy as the Wesker home. I glanced at my watch and noted it was 19:28 [7: 28pm], if we spent an hour with the kids gathering candy, I could make it back with plenty of time to spend with Claire and the rest before they left [though I had no clue what time the party was over].

"Where are we?" Mar asked, looking around - the other kids were following his example.

Jake and I met eyes and I beamed at him. "You tell them." I said.

"Nah, this was your idea - _remember_?" he suggested back to me. I was a bit taken aback by this - it was _his_ idea - _he _made it all happen, not me.

"Jake, I -"

"What's going on, Nanny Bear?" Mar questioned, he looked a little worried. I sent Jake a puzzled look before he gave a slight nod to the kids, he was giving me the honors.

I sighed and mouthed a 'thank you' to the man who always managed to make me smile. "Mar, I... -" I giggled. "Are you ready to go trick or treating?"

They didn't seem to believe me at first until Jake stepped out of the car and went to the trunk to pull out the plastic pumpkin heads. Once they saw them, the car erupted with cheers.

Jake stayed in the truck watching after us as we approached our first house. The kids were overjoyed and I was doing my best to hold onto shy Leila's hand and Mar's too. Avery volunteered to keep an eye on Beatrice and Tommy since he knew them well - which left wild child Ricky, close by me. We traveled together but Avery was sweet enough to realize that I needed a little help.

_If only Jake would get over here and help me!_

He was making some business calls apparently - I prayed it didn't involve fighting.

The kids knocked on the front door all at once and when a red headed lady opened the door, they all shouted **Trick or Treat **to her. She was dressed as a witch and I observed her as she served candy out of her hat. She handed out a lot of candy to them and Mar was ready to eat his instantly but I told him it was best to wait until candy collecting was finished.

We visited two more houses and Jake pulled the truck up further to keep us in his sight. I was delighted to see the kids so happy. They were jumping up and down, racing to get to the other houses. I had to snatch Tommy and Ricky's eager behinds before they raced out into the streets.

As we came up to another house, I noticed a spooky green fog coming from it - it wasn't nearly as scary as the one back home but it was creepy looking. We approached cautiously, all of the kids - including Avery were hiding behind me shivering.

_I mean damn, if anything does happen I'm the last one who can help - I'm small and wearing freaking heels! ...I guess I could beat someone with them but I don't know, it's risky._

I tapped lightly on the door after Mar and Beatrice released my right arm. The door creaked open and we saw no one at first, until a tall dark and scary figure appeared and before he could say anything, I snatched Mar into my arms, took Leila's hand and bolted away following the other kids - we were like wolves with our tails between our legs.

I heard Jake laughing at us and I gave him the finger - Beatrice scolded me for it. Flipping people the bird is wrong - she said, I nodded to her, because she was right - but Jake's a jerk, she just doesn't know that about him yet.

"You run pretty well in heels, Super girl!" he taunted loudly out the window at me. I wanted to run back to the truck and kick him.

"Oh shut it!" I retorted, red faced as I reunited with the rest of the kids.

We crossed the street to visit another house, there was a sweet old lady inside who gave the kids lots of chocolates. When we neared the end of the block, the kid's baskets were nearly full.

Jake pulled up beside us and waved for us to get in. After buckling all of them in their seats, I got in the passenger seat and sighed, relieved to a break. Jake drove around the corner and I noticed that this block had very few kids but that could be a benefit with my feet killing me the way they were.

"I got it this time." Jake told me, patting my thigh lightly where my bare skin was revealed.

"Okay, thanks." I cooed softly.

His hand lingered on me for a moment - I could see him struggling to pull away as he stared intently at my thighs and I felt a spark between my legs. His hand twitched suddenly, his fingers started to curl and grasp my thigh gently - I knew he was holding back. I shifted awkwardly and let out a quiet sigh as his hand slowly retracted, clenching into a fist - I noticed him trembling a bit before he stepped out of the driver's seat to unfasten Mar and Tommy from their car seats, and then let the other kids out.

Jake just stood back and watched as they ran up on the porches and knocked on doors. I wondered why and got my answer when some lady waved to him and gestured for him to come closer - he ignored her. I giggled a bit when it happened a few more times. Jake was quite the looker - that Phantom of the Opera look was the icing on the cake for him.

He was such a turn on.

I blushed thinking of him that way, biting my lip - I remembered his hand on my thigh - his hand ghosting over the curves of my leg when we were in the bathroom - and even the comfort I felt while sitting on his lap, the slight movement I felt when I wiggled myself on him. The connection I felt with him was beyond my comprehension.

He said he wanted to get closer, he wanted me closer to him. He wanted to touch me.

I imagined he liked my skin. I was sure that was what he was so fond of. It all started when he touched my tummy the night of the underground fight weeks ago, followed by him holding me when I was naked. He always held my face because that was usually the most skin I revealed on average - but my legs seemed to fascinate him the most for some reason.

He must be a _legs_ loving guy.

I noticed his cell was vibrating and the call came from Mr. Wesker on the caller I.D - though I was only able to tell because of the picture, but his name in the phone was "Matrix - Reject". I held back a laugh.

With his phone in my hand, I was about to jump out the truck when the kids came back. I stepped out anyway, going to Mar to help him into his seat but not before asking for answers.

"What's going on, where's Jake?"

"He told us to wait in the truck." Avery answered simply. "He went to go talk to some guys and told us he'll be back in a minute."

I sighed. _Jake, you and your distractions! You can't even watch the kids so they could trick or treat for five minutes!_

"Well alright you guys, I'll be right back - I've got to take Jake his phone." I strapped Mar in his seat and then Tommy. "You're free to eat some of your candy until we get back okay?"

When they confirmed understanding, I kissed Mar's cheek and closed the door. Jake was nearby, I could hear him talking so I wasn't too worried about the kids in the truck for a few minutes max.

I followed the voices and circled around a tall fenced yard. I saw Jake talking with a group of three men, they looked like rough punks out looking for trouble. Jake was quiet now while the other guys teased him about his costume no doubt.

They were obviously jealous because he looked so sexy to all the ladies - mostly to me.

"Jake?" I started cautiously, approaching slowly.

He whirled around to me and his eyes darkened for a bit. "What are you doing?" he snapped.

I grimaced. "Um, your father called, I was bringing your phone -"

"_Damn_!" one of the guys whistled, eyeing me intently. He had a piercing over his left brow and wore a cap backwards. "Who's this sexy piece of ass?"

I frowned, uncomfortable and ready to tell him to back off, Jake beat me to the punch. "Back off asshole - or I'll kick your ass." he growled, shoving me behind his back.

I clung to him, trying to calm him down - I didn't want him fighting. "Jake, please calm down." I soothed him by rubbing his back a bit. I noticed the tension in his shoulders starting to loosen.

"Hey, easy there Jay - I didn't know she was yours!" the guy tried to appeal to him, waving his arms helplessly. I noted he referred to him by his alias instead of his real name - they were familiar with Jake's underground antics.

"She came to me, didn't she? Think before you speak dumbass." Jake retorted coldly.

"Jake..." I whispered. "We've got to get back to the kids."

"Alright, Jay - take it easy." said another, he was sporting a mohawk. I noticed he had a can of some sort of spray in his hand. He was probably planning to do some graffiti. "So, are you gonna do some more fights any time soon? The place ain't much fun or excitin' unless you show up - oh yeah, and all the _ladies_ been askin' about you."

I frowned, what was with everyone assuming Jake was some sort of womanizer? He didn't flirt with anyone [except me] so what was with them?

"Entertaining folks ain't my motivation. I fight when I feel like it or if I'm pissed off." he shrugged. "I'm pretty chill right now - but you better tell shit-face here to stop staring at my girl or we will have a problem."

_His girl! _I swooned with a blush on my face. _Did Jake just call me his girlfriend?! _

The mohawk guy just laughed casually. "No sweat, Jay - but think about it would ya? We could always toss some cash in the match just like the old times!"

_The old times? _I sent Jake a skeptical look from behind him. Did he fight for money at some point? "Jake, please don't feed into this - you promised you would make a change." I whispered to him, my voice was firm - he promised me he would cut the crap, he better not agree to this shit!

"Whatever, I'm busy right now - you guys get lost, you know the cops are hot on Halloween." he said flatly. I wasn't sure if he was ignoring me but he wasn't answering the guy's question. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and turned from the three men, pushing me gently in front of him for us to depart.

"Yeah - thanks for the heads up!" I heard one say before we curved around a corner and made our way back to the truck.

As we neared the truck, I handed Jake his phone and studied him briefly before speaking up. "Jake, who were they -?"

"We'll talk later." he cut me off sharply - his eyes locked on his phone, I assumed he was reading a text by the way his eyes danced over his screen.

With a shrug, I waited for him to open the door for me and I slid inside onto the seat. Jake hopped into the driver's seat, shot a look over his shoulder at the kids still tearing apart their candy and after shaking his head at them - he started the truck and we started away.

"I wanna take the kids somewhere a bit safer." he said to me with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "You alright with that?"

"It's not a problem for me at all." I replied, staring out the window. I was sure those guys were bad news - it was a relief to know Jake was leading us away from them.

From that point on, Jake and I led the kids house to house together. He mentioned something about him making sure no one tried to hit on me being his reason. It would have been cute if I believed him - I was sure he was doing it because he was being possessive.

He was really good at making sure the kids were orderly and didn't get hurt. Little Leila tried to keep up with Beatrice by running alongside her. As she was about to trip over something, Jake flashed past me and gripped her by the back of her dress, pulling her to a stand before her face met the concrete. His speed was incredible as always - just like when he saved Mar and me from the book case.

Hell, he probably should have dressed as Superman for the night - but I liked his current costume _much_ better.

Leila was elated by his act of heroism, I think her crush on him increased tenfold - Jake remained completely oblivious to this, he just thought she liked holding his hand because he was a big guy, but I thought the reason was obvious.

We made our way home some time afterwards. The kids were all fast asleep when we neared the house. They'd worn themselves out having so much fun.

Meanwhile, Jake and I were awkwardly quiet with each other. Honestly, my reason was because I was so nervous about the evening we were supposed to spend together. I'd never been really close with anyone, this was going to be my first time. Jake had promised he would take things slow with me and I was sure he would, but I couldn't shake away my nerves.

Maybe when we got back to the party - I'd have my first ever drink since I was in the midst of first timing everything tonight.

_Yeah, maybe that will ease my nerves a bit._

* * *

When we got back to the house, Mr. Wesker was standing outside waiting for us, accompanied by a few sets of parents. Jake and I looked to each other - I had a sinking feeling in my gut that this wasn't a good sign. He pulled up to a stop and we climbed out the truck to met the parents.

"Where did you take our children?!" one woman shouted at me, she was dressed as a German bartender and had hideously styled her hair.

I waved my hands in front of me. "Hey, calm down - they're fine, we just took them -"

"Did you try and kidnap them?" she pressed angrily, stepping into my face.

I backed away slowly, glancing at Jake and Mr. Wesker. Jake was glaring darkly to the woman, Mr. Wesker had his hands tucked behind his back - he looked calm. "No - no we did not try and kidnap them! We just took them -"

"If we kidnapped them, why would we bring them back without requesting a ransom?" Jake snarled shooting hard stares at all the parents. He rolled his eyes and scoffed at them. "Doesn't make any sense, fucking idiots." the last part he mumbled.

"Albert," the enraged mother started. "Is this your son?"

Mr. Wesker nodded with a smirk. "Yes, quite a character, isn't he?"

"I can't believe these two just took our children away without alerting us! Who knows what crazy stunts they could have pulled!" shouted another woman. She was not so much angry as the other mother but she looked worried.

"Let's calm down now, shall we?" Mr. Wesker started, as he held up his hands. "Miss Birkin and Jake had their reasons - they would be wise to state them now." that last line gave me shivers.

"Um, well - the kids were depressed sitting upstairs in the room for so long - they wanted to get out and get some air so Jake and I decided to take them trick or treating - after we treated them to some pizza so they wouldn't get stomach aches from candy overload." I giggled the last part but slowly quieted when I noticed the parents weren't laughing with me.

"You took our children away for something as stupid and childish as trick or treating?! If we wanted them to do something so _disgraceful_ we would have taken them ourselves!" a man roared.

"Exactly!" added another woman. "They were perfectly fine upstairs -"

"Yeah, upstairs where you kept them locked up so they can't see the outside world." Jake mocked. "Yeah, that's good parenting right?"

"Yes - yes it is!"

My hands were shaking - I felt anger boiling inside me. _Shut up._

"It's the right thing to do if you want your children to grow up intelligent and successful - to carry on the family's legacy." said the German bartender lady.

_Shut the hell up._

I don't know how I picked up the nerve, but I couldn't bear to hear the nonsense any longer. "Is that what you tell yourself about your children - or is it a fact?" I challenged shakily.

She looked taken aback by my statement. I continued bitterly, "I suppose it's easy to lock your children away in a room so they can _succeed _and carry the family's _legacy_ - but have you forgotten that they're _human beings_?" I stepped forward and trembled as I stared them all head on. "While you're having the time of your lives partying - they're locked away in a small room, staring out the window at other children living and enjoying themselves - wondering, did I do something wrong? Why can't I do what the other kids do? Is there something wrong with me?"

They were quiet, looking around at each other with a mix of what looked like outrage at my words as well as consideration.

"You're raising your kids to be machines and the saddest part is that while they're young, they'll do whatever it takes to please you - just to see you smile at them, to feel like they're loved... Have any of you even held your child today?" my voice was quiet, but I knew all of them could hear me.

They stood there, dumbfounded. None could raise their hand.

"Of course," I sighed disgusted. "What are they - just projects for you? Don't you care about their happiness, their feelings - their _childhood_? You say trick or treating is disgraceful - how? It's that one time of the year where kids get rewarded for being kids. They get candy and get to dress up - it's something they enjoy, and you want to take that away from them - why? Because they would be like other kids - is that why?"

I was trembling badly - I wanted to scream at them and kick their asses. I felt Jake put his hands on my shoulders and I choked my bitter tears. "I just hope you realize the damage you're bringing to their future."

There was absolute silence now. I whirled around to Jake, he had a smirk on his handsome face as he winked at me. "Way to go, Super girl." he whispered. I blushed and whispered a _thank you _back to him.

"Well, well -" Mr. Wesker started, almost as if he were amused. "I'm sure you all can see why I have no qualms in trusting Miss Birkin and Jake with my youngest son." Jake and I looked at each other in shock. _Did he just compliment us?! _"I assume you will be taking your children home now, yes?"

"Erm, yes - we will." said one of the father's, the bartender lady tried to protest, insisting my words were wrong but he cut her off. "It's their bedtime, we should go."

She frowned and sent me a glare. "Fine! Where's my son?"

"Which one, _mad cow_?" Jake insulted her and I stifled back a giggle.

"Thomas." she grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest.

I blinked. "You mean _Tommy_?" I eyed her weirdly.

"His name is **Thomas**."

"Sure," Jake cooed sarcastically. "Whatever floats your boat lady." he sneered evilly to her. "I think _Tommy_'s better."

I smirked at her before I followed behind Jake to open the truck doors. All the kids were still buckled in, fast asleep. I couldn't help but smile at them, they looked adorable. I hated to wake them but was choice less. I tickled Tommy's stomach and he laughed himself awake, and then helped him from his seat to carry him to his 'seething with anger' mother.

Jake helped the rest of the kids out and carried the newly awakened Mar in one arm as he came up beside me. The kids were happy to see their parents, showing them all the candy they got and offering to give them some. All the parents actually showed some joy, except Tommy's mother but eventually she picked him up and cracked a small smile.

It was a heartwarming sight.

"Thanks Jake, Nanny Bear." Mar said quietly.

"Anytime, little guy." Jake said, straightening the child's hat - it kept poking him in the face.

I grinned. "No problem, Mar - but now I need a little favor from you."

"What is it, Bear?" Jake sent me a curious look and I giggled before whispering in Mar's ear. He beamed after I pulled away. "I'd love to!"

* * *

Mrs. Stephanie sat on her bed watching some Russian talk show when I cracked her bedroom door open. She looked at me with wide eyes and smiled at me. I walked inside hugged her – she had no idea what I was planning.

I noticed Rebecca was with her now. She was quite a sight to see – I nearly fainted at the sight of her. She was _Catwoman_. I **never** saw that coming.

Rebecca's _fiancé_ was there with her. All this time I assumed she was married and she told me she was, when in reality – she was just engaged [apparently she was so anxious to get his last name and be his wife she couldn't help herself]. His name was Billy Coen and he was kind enough to dress as Batman to go along with her as Catwoman.

They made quite a couple – she was so tiny and he was just huge.

After the introductions, I signaled to the doorway for Jake to come in. When he entered, he held Mar in his arms. Mrs. Stephanie was completely taken aback and I saw tears in her eyes – happy tears of course. Jake let Mar out of his arms and allowed the little guy to race over, climb onto the bed and hug his mother for the first time in months.

We all stood there and watched Mrs. Stephanie smiling and laughing as she embraced the little genius – it was endearing to see. Mar presented his pumpkin head full of candy to her and offered her as much chocolate she would enjoy.

She showered him with kisses in response.

* * *

The party seemed endless. It was nearing zero hour and it seemed like all the party guests were drunk off their feet. When Jake and I returned to Claire and the rest, music echoed through the house and people were dancing to it in every room. There was a D.J set up in the library [I hadn't noticed that before we left] and he played a range of different types of music.

We met everyone in the living room area, Leon was drunk and flirting indignantly with a less than amused Ada, Claire was dancing with Helena - suggestively I might add, and Piers was shyly offering the two his attention, he whistled every time they did something he liked.

I skipped over to join Claire and Helena. The three of us grinded against each other, we just danced for as long as we could. I noticed Jake had joined Piers in admiring us, but he looked more jealous than anything else. His possessiveness was cute.

We stopped dancing for a moment, carrying on a conversation with each other about various topics until Claire skipped her way over to Ada and Leon. Helena and I laughed as she wrapped her arms around Ada's waist, invoking a jealous reaction out of Leon.

I turned to Helena then, I had a few questions for her. "Helena, do you still fight?"

She shook her head at me. "I only go to the fights if Jake does." she answered flatly. "We're partners kind of. Whenever he wants to fight, I'm there and whenever I wanna fight, he's there."

I felt a bit jealous but fought against it. "So you two haven't fought in a while?"

"Well I went there a week after you were there. Won a fight and then left with Pudding over there." she thumbed Piers over her shoulder. "I don't know about Jake though, you'd have to ask him if he's been there - I haven't fought since, Piers won't let me fight anymore."

I gave her a small smile. "You're one hell of a fighter, but I hate the idea of you getting hurt - maybe that's why Piers is making you stop too?"

She shrugged. "That's one of them, but you two are being overbearing - Jake and I have been doing this for years. Nothing's ever happened. Those guys we beat up are thugs, punks even - they don't have the guts to try anything stupid."

I sighed, fidgeting with my fingers. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to nag you - I just -"

"Yeah, I know, you care." she nodded with a huff. "Listen, you think you could just cut Jake a break already? The guy's working hard for you and you're being difficult."

"Pardon?"

"Jake likes you, Sher. Show him some love already. He's not the type of flock to girls for no reason - you're really something to him."

I was shocked by her words to me, but I understood every word. Getting her approval felt pretty good. She was a close friend of Jake's for a while I assumed [her statement of the two of them fighting together for years], and it meant a lot to know she didn't mind me with Jake. I wanted to assure her I would do my best for him.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and put my head on her shoulder. I liked Helena a lot, she was tough and scared me a little but I liked her hot and cold personality. Seeing her care for Jake's emotional wellbeing was heartwarming for me – usually she seemed so indifferent to the people around her, just knowing she had moments where she could show her heart meant a lot to me.

I squeaked when she snatched me up and licked my cheek. I was laughing because she was tickling me at the same time, eventually forcing me to the floor as she continued her assault. I truly didn't see it coming - she really was like Sheva said - a girl who keeps people guessing.

Piers pulled her away from me, his face overcome with blush. "H-Helena!" he cried out, with a laugh. "You can't just molest her like that!"

When he stood her on the floor firmly, I saw a flash and noticed Jake had tackled her down again and began wrestling with her on the floor. I was shocked, everyone else was laughing as the two tumbled and struggled against each other. They looked like siblings and it was incredible that Helena could keep up with him.

He trapped her in a headlock and rubbed his fist into her hair - she looked wild and crazy when he was done with her chocolate locks of hair. He released her and she stood slowly, turning to him with a blank glare that masked her seething anger. He was smug as he looked down to her, almost daring her to challenge him. She swung at him and he ducked, grabbing Piers and holding him up in front of him. Eventually her anger to Jake was misplaced onto Piers as he dodged her attacks, overpowering her at some point – he pinned her against the kitchen's island.

Jake went over towards Leon and the two were laughing at Piers predicament, until he managed to kiss Helena - then they snorted and shook their heads.

I laughed briefly, and then became aware of Claire approaching me with a sneaky grin on her pretty face. Before I could ask any questions, Claire ushered me over to Jake, I fought against her weakly but she snickered mischievously and didn't stop.

"Claire!" I shrieked, embarrassed.

"Oh hush, Sher – go get your man – or boss, whoever he is to you!" she laughed.

I considered her. If I was going to get closer to him, I needed to pick up some nerve soon. I felt like I wanted nothing more than to dance with him, wrap my arms around his neck and rub my fingers in his short red hair. I wanted to trail my fingers down his scar and kiss it – tell him I liked him – tell him how my heart would race whenever he was near me.

I wouldn't mind wrestling with him either…

I liked him so much. It felt strange, how I longed for him so sincerely.

_What is this feeling?_

Claire stopped me in front of him. He studied me, his eyes were unreadable. I felt my heart heavy in my chest, my breath catch, my body heating up. I wanted to speak but I couldn't. A million thoughts were racing through my mind as I leered at Jake.

_Why am I so afraid of him suddenly? What's wrong with me? What should I do? What should I say? Why is he making me feel like this? _

"You alright, Super girl?" he asked me softly, encasing my face in his hands. "You look a little pale."

"Y-Yea, I'm fine um, I just need to sit down, and I'm feeling a little woozy." I murmured and then giggled awkwardly. "Excuse me..." I whirled away from the group to have a seat on the couch nearby.

Claire followed behind me, I observed her from the corner of my eye as she asked Jake and everyone else to let her handle me. She breezed over and sat beside me with sigh.

"Made you a little weak-kneed, didn't he?"

I gasped, giving her a surprised look. "How did you -"

She giggled. "Been there, done that. I recognized the look of sheer longing and nerves in a heartbeat."

I smiled a bit and played with the end of my skirt. "I just... I like him a lot, Claire. I have no idea why - but when I'm with him, I feel happy. I haven't known him too long, yet I like him more than I can understand."

She sighed softly and pulled me into her arms for a hug. "Listen Sher," she started into my hair. "I need you to be honest with me. How do you feel when he holds your hand?"

"I feel content, like I have someone with me and I don't have to fight alone all the time. I feel at ease." I spoke honestly.

"What about when he looks at you?"

"I don't know..." she rubbed my back and assured me to think hard about it. I sighed. "I feel curious. I wonder what he's thinking - if he thinks I'm beautiful, if he thinks I'm strange. I just feel curious."

"Okay, so - how do you feel when he smiles at you?"

I smiled then. "I feel like I'm on cloud nine. His smile is just so comforting, it makes me happy - very happy."

"Okay, last question - how do you feel when he touches you?"

I paused, unintentionally but I did. It was hard to find an answer to that. "Do you mean, when he's close to me or when he puts his hands on me?"

"Tell me about both."

I inhaled slowly, trying to find words. "When he's near me, I feel drawn to him. I want him to hold me close, to touch me... to... I don't know."

"What do you feel when he touches you?"

"I feel... nervous. I'm not really used to being touched. I don't get though - I don't really mind other people touching me, but when Jake wraps his arms around me, I feel..."

"Safe?" I nodded to her slowly. "And let me guess, it scares you." I nodded once again. "You tell me a lot about Jake, Sher. You always talk about how he's there when you need him, how he makes you happy, he makes you blush - he even turns you on." she snickered as I turned red in the face.

"I think I know what you want from him, Sherry. You want to feel secure. That's why you like to be around him so much and that's also why you want him to stop fighting. You want to feel safe with him but you're afraid to and that's why you're so awkward with being close to him. You just want to be sure he's going to do right by you - and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I will say this... I think Jake wants to show you he can."

I was shivering, her words always struck home. She and Leon were really good at understanding my troubles. "How do you know that?" I asked her quietly, staring out the back windows at nothing in particular.

"Because everything you've ever told me about him has proven that to me." she started fixing my hair up. "Plus, Jake hasn't been to a fight since you were there."

"Really?" I asked, wide eyed.

She nodded with a smile. "Steve tried to get him to come but he said he wasn't interested. Steve told me Jake used to jump with the snap of a finger for a fight - anything to ease his boredom. But now, he says he's got something else on his mind - I'm sure he meant you, Sherry."

I blushed again, a giggle suddenly escaped me. "I never thought I could feel this way, Claire..."

"I know Sher, but you've got to give him a chance to prove you're safe with him. He's not like your parents Sherry, he won't lock you away and I bet everything he would never leave you. You have to work with him, Sher - put forth some effort to get closer to him - trust him when he holds you and touches you, just know that he won't hurt you and he will do everything in his power to make you happy. If it helps, ask him to tell you that himself." she tittered. "If he does, you're one hell of a lucky girl because he's the whole package!"

I laughed with her before hugging her again. "Thanks Claire, thank you so much."

"No problem! Oh, by the way... has he _kissed_ you yet?"

I flushed. "He's kissed my forehead but that's about it."

"By God, he's a gentleman..." she gasped and then pulled me by the arm so she could whisper into my ear. "He won't do it until you're ready – that's so cute! Okay, if he tells you that - you've struck gold."

I giggled. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

After our little conversation, we went and rejoined the rest. Claire was kind enough to lie for me, we both told everyone I wanted to rest because my feet were killing me again. While it wasn't a complete lie [my feet were quite numb], I felt a little guilty for it.

I went up to Jake and took a deep breath before wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face into his chest. I couldn't bear to look at him at the moment. My face felt hot and I waited patiently for him to return the gesture. After a few rapid beats from my heart, I felt him slowly embrace me. His chin rested on top of my head for a moment then I felt his warm breath against my ear. I felt tingly again as he spoke to me.

"Thanks, sweet girl."

* * *

It was 1:00 [1:00 am] when everyone finally decided to make their leave. Claire was riding back in a cab with Ada and Leon, she planned to crash with them at their hotel room until the morning. I offered to make guest rooms for Piers and Helena but they declined, implying Helena's need to get home to be with her sister - Piers would be staying with her overnight [luckily Piers' was sober enough to drive home].

By 1:30, the entire house was empty. Jake and I looked around at the messy house. There were spilled beverages, food, and anything else littered all over the manor. I dreaded the day to come tomorrow - but I was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Wesker told me I had the day off. I wondered who would clean the mess, but he informed me he had hired a professional cleaning company to come by in the morning around 10.

Jake and I were disturbed again when he told us we'd done an **acceptable job** for the day.

Two compliments in a day - I wasn't sure whether to be scared or appreciative.

"Quite a party, yes?" I almost jumped out of my skin yet again by the sound of Ms. Excella's voice. She was right behind me, I could have sworn she left with the other guests.

"Evil chick." Jake grumbled at her, noting her presence.

She sent him a smug look. "Jake, did you have a good time with _Mistress_ Sherry here?" she wrapped her arms around me once again - I was helpless to stop her, mostly due to uncertainty.

I saw Jake blush a bit as he turned away from us. "Shut up."

She laughed a bit and her seductive gaze drifted to Mr. Wesker. "It's been fun Albert, but it's late. Are you still going to drive me home?" she purred.

"Of course, Excella - a busy woman like yourself can't afford to be kept out for too long." Mr. Wesker replied, turning away towards the front closet. "I'll escort you home now if you would like?"

She did an odd movement of her lips before answering him. "Sure, but may I have a moment with Miss Sherry before I depart?"

_Why does she want to speak with me?_

"No." Jake snapped at her.

"Now, now, Jake - there's nothing wrong with Excella speaking with Miss Birkin. Let them chat." Mr. Wesker put a hand on Jake's back and led him from the room - into the kitchen.

I was surprised Jake went so willingly.

"Mistress, I have but a few things to speak with you about." Ms. Excella started, she released me to begin circling me while she spoke. "First, how did Albert junior like the outfit?"

I blushed as I answered her. "Um, I think he liked it, may I ask why?"

She sighed. "Oh sweet Sherry, there was once a time when I was the apple of Albert's eyes." she spoke almost reminiscing. "But that was a long time ago. You see, the men of the Wesker bloodline are a _loyal _league of men. Despite their handsome good looks, they migrate towards a single woman in hopes she can provide them with something to fill the void in their existence."

"What... are you talking about, Ms. Excella?"

She chuckled, it was a weary one. "No matter what I do - I can't get Albert back. She took his heart - and now she's too weak to even do for him. It's despicable - I'm ashamed to think I even lost to a weak hearted woman like herself."

_Is she talking about Mrs. Stephanie?_ I frowned. "Ma'am, you cannot say such nasty things about the lady of this manor."

She smirked at me, her brows raised. "Look at you, so gentle, so sweet – loyal to the family and so full of willpower. Thank goodness, you're nothing like _her_. You've got spunk – there's a spark in you that won't let you crumble at the sight of danger. No, you're a fighter, I see that in you."

"What?" I was utterly lost.

"Sherry, take him while he wants you." she encased my face in her hands as her lovely eyes met mine. "Steal his heart, Sherry - make him yours."

"Are you talking about Jake? Ma'am, I –"

"I cannot stand the idea of the Wesker men being forced to live their lives with weak women, they deserve women like us. Women who won't let them trample all over us while we hide away afraid of them. It would do more than make me happy to… see you with Jake." she finished, a stern expression was fixed on her face.

I didn't know what to say. I just stood there, giving a bad impression of a fish to her. She smirked again and her hands traveled down my body as she groped and fondled me again. I protested against it but she pulled me against her, forcing me to look her in the eye.

"I'm just giving you an extra push for Jake - it can't hurt, can it?"

I was speechless again and her touches ceased altogether after a short while. I backed against the double doors that led to the formal dining room, panting as I tried to compose myself. I was confused, frustrated and tired - I didn't feel like this woman feeling me up all over again.

Jake emerged then and cleared his throat awkwardly. "My dad's out back waiting for you, evil chick."

She stared at me for a moment and winked before strutting away, breezing past Jake as she started for the back doors. "Remember what I said, _Mistress_." was all I heard from her.

I was completely shaken up. Jake approached me slowly, a look of concern on his handsome half-face. After I sent him a small smile, he slowly extended his arm to me, offering his hand for me to take. I took it and allowed him to draw me closer, he wrapped an arm around me as we made for the basement.

* * *

It wasn't as filthy in the basement as it was upstairs. I removed my heels slowly as I let my swollen, sore feet touch the cool wood floor behind the bar. I leaned against the counter and watched quietly as Jake shuffled through the cabinets to find something. He'd removed his mask and laid it on the counter while he shuffled through the cabinets and refrigerator. There wasn't much left after everyone's drinking binges. Luckily, they all had rides to get home so there wouldn't be any drunk driving.

I saw Jake observing the door behind the counter, it was right in the middle of the floor.

"What's down there?" I asked curious as I touched around it with my foot. I hated the idea of falling down into some trap or something.

"The wine cellar." he answered me. "It's huge with tons more than just this." he gestured to the cabinets.

"Were you going down there?" I tried to imagine what it might look like.

"Nah, no need – I'm just trying to see what's missing…" he took a short look at me before pulling a couple cocktail glasses from the cupboard nearby. "Wanna taste?" he held up a bottle of champagne in front of me.

I fidgeted a little. "I've never drank any alcohol before." I admitted meekly.

He smiled a bit. "I don't think it's gonna bother you at all."

"How are you so sure?" I pressed, eyeing the bottle like it was to be the death of me.

He shifted a little, unable to answer me. "I'd hate to bring that up now…" he ran a hand through his short hair. "How about I just make you a Shirley Temple – sound good?"

I smiled and nodded eagerly – _Shirley Temple_ was a non-alcoholic drink that kids could drink, it was quite tasty. I drank a few at Claire's – sure, it was a summer drink but I didn't care much. "As long as you promise you won't let me do anything I'm going to regret, I don't mind." I joked, teasing him a bit – we both knew it wasn't alcoholic, but it was fun to just bother him a bit.

I watched him prepare the drinks, swapping my champagne glass for a taller one and I watched curiously as he put a strawberry in his champagne. It looked quite tasty with the added fruit. I accepted my drink from him and played with the straw in my cup while I watched him consume most of his.

"What's wrong?" he asked with a raised brow. I shook my head and started to drink mine.

"May I taste it?" I wondered shyly nodding towards his glass. He smiled simper, holding his glass out for me. I sat my cup down and took it. After an awkward intake of breath, I sipped a little – it tasted pretty good. I couldn't taste anything in particular but it was sweet and bitter at the same time.

"You like it?" he took the glass from me and finished it off.

I nodded breathlessly – I was kind of expecting to just get piss drunk off a sip. It was silly but I really wasn't sure what would happen. "Tasty." I whispered going back to my drink – I didn't really want it anymore, I wanted more champagne but I finished it anyway. I ate the little cherry in my cup and watched him eat his strawberry.

I wanted to kiss him – taste the strawberry on his lips while he held me. My cheeks reddened and I leaned back against the counter, sighing softly to compose myself.

Jake studied me for a moment. "You're tired, aren't ya?"

"N-No, I'm just -"

"It's okay, Super girl - you've had quite a day from hell. I'm not gonna be mad if you admit you're tired." he told me. He held the bottle of champagne in his hands, no doubt about to put it away in the fridge. He sat it gently on the counter and held his arms open at his waist. "C'mere."

I slowly pushed my body over to him and sighed blissfully when my tired body rested against his. I didn't want to ruin my promise to him, I upheld the ones to Mrs. Stephanie and Mar, and I didn't want to mess up the one I made with him. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have completed the other two. I felt indebted to him for his kindness.

"Mind if I take my gloves off?" he asked me and I cracked a smile. That was a very odd question. I shook my head, giving him my consent.

He removed them and when his warm fingers made contact with my skin, I felt a jolt go through me and I whimpered as it did. "Come on, baby girl, let me get you to bed." he spoke so soft, husky and smooth.

I blushed at his manner of addressing me, it sounded so sensual coming from his lips. "Jake, I want to stay up with you - I promised I would." I pleaded. He gripped my forearms gently. "Jake please -"

"Shh, come on." he gestured me towards the hallway.

I blinked at him, confused. "Jake, my bed is upstairs - "

"Yeah, I know, but I… was hoping you wouldn't mind sleeping with me tonight?"

I felt hot in the face. "…If that would please you, I don't mind." I cooed, running my hands along his chest. I felt a need for him. I felt shy but eager to lie beside him for the night.

"It would do more than please me, _naughty girl_." a sly grin crept onto his face – he chuckled softly and took my hand in his, his eyes were smoky and enticed me before he curved around the corner to make for the hall.

I followed behind him as he led me down the hallway to the first room on our right. I could make out a glass door at the far end of the hall, it was the gym room - now I knew where Jake worked out all the time. He pulled a key from his pocket and opened the door - he offered me to enter first and the followed behind me, closing and locking the door behind us.

"Why did you lock the door?" I asked, curiously. He looked offended. "I don't mean it that way Jake - I mean, I'm just curious..."

It was odd of me to trust him enough that I wasn't afraid of him locking a door behind us. I had no idea why I just felt so safe with him.

_Should I feel scared? Is it wrong of me to feel safe?_

He considered me for a moment and finally answered. "It's been a habit of mine since I was younger - does it bother you?"

I thought for a brief moment, and then found words. "No, it doesn't bother me at all." I smiled at him and he returned it.

It was then that I observed the room. We were in another bathroom with a bathtub, toilet and it had oriental decor. I observed the tub more closely, it was wooden and round, and beside it were a few steps for easy entrance and exit. Candles aligned in each corner and a box of flower petals sat nearby. As the realization hit me, I was amazed - it was a Jacuzzi!

"You have a Jacuzzi in here?!" I beamed, running up to it with my eyes shining.

"This one's small but there's another one that's much bigger – it's out by the bar." he replied walking up behind me. I could feel his eyes on me.

"By the bar?" I whirled around to him. "Wow, this house never ceases to amaze me." I breathed.

He chuckled. "I guess there's a lot you haven't seen, I'll be sure to show you tomorrow." he gestured me towards a sliding door nearby. It was decorated with an Asian dragon.

I approached it and slid it open, revealing a large master bedroom. The room would be absolutely dark if it weren't for the bathroom light peeking through the paper door. There was a large king sized bed in the far back of the room - it was covered in red and gold silk satin bedding. Candles sat unlit on the nightstand beside the bed, I saw scented candles and incense on another little table on the opposite side of the nightstand.

A closet was close to the door, nearby it was a dresser and chest. A coffee table centered in the room and there was a pile of pillows in front of a small unlit fireplace nearby. There weren't any windows – understandable since we were essentially underground. There wasn't a TV in there either, but there were a few bottles of champagne and vodka on top of a small refrigerator right beside the entrance.

This room was beautiful.

I looked at Jake almost dreamily. I was at a loss for words. He smirked at me and encased my face. "Do you like it?"

"Yes..." I whispered.

He exhaled softly. "I originally planned for us to enjoy the Jacuzzi together, but since you're tired, the bed should be fine - unless you want to…?"

I really wanted to but before I could speak, a yawn escaped me. He chuckled at me. "I guess it can wait until morning." his said as his thumbs caressed my cheeks.

"Jake... I need to get some pajamas." I muttered to him. I hated that I didn't change before we came down to the basement.

He smiled sheepishly, running a hand through his hair again. "Well, uh... why don't you just take that stuff off, I can lend you one of my shirts until the morning."

I blushed and turned away from him. "Okay, just don't look mister."

I waited for him to turn away to make for the dresser before I bent over to detach my stockings from the garter belt. "So, what is this room – just another bedroom or does it serve a different purpose?"

"It was a guest room but since I spend most of my time down here, I just think of it as my new room. I don't like my old room much anyway." he answered from behind me. In the corner of my eye, I saw him lighting the candle on his side of the bed. The candlelight lit the room with a romantic glow, and it smelled good too.

"Can I ask why?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now."

I fought back a chuckle. He was so full of secrets that he would hopefully share with me one day. It was starting to be a bit funny to me. There was a lot I needed to learn about him.

"You cold?" he asked me as he walked over to the coffee table, retrieving a remote.

"Just a bit." he nodded without looking at me and I watched him light the fireplace using the remote. I whistled. "That's fancy."

He huffed and I shyly watched him as he traveled into the bathroom. A short moment later, the light inside clicked off and the only light in the bedroom came from the candle and fireplace.

I started to take my stockings off. "Don't take those off." hearing him say that, I whirled around to see him shutting the sliding door and then going through his dresser drawers some feet away. "I like those on you." he mumbled awkwardly.

I smiled with a blush. "Okay, I'll leave them on." I attached them to the belt again and started removing my other layers.

As I untied my corset top, I peeked over my shoulder at him and noticed he'd taken his costume off and was simply clad in white boxers with red and black patterns. I bit my lip and turned away quickly, my cheeks burning. His body was gorgeous. He had a few scars here and there along his back, but his muscles were lean, prominent and sculpted – his skin looked smooth, I wanted to touch him everywhere.

I peeked once more and ogled his muscular thighs. They looked powerful. Claire always told me if a guy had strong thighs, he was _capable_.

I felt hot again as I stood wearing nothing but my thong and stockings. I'd detached the basque from them. I could stand wearing them to bed but that basque would be quite uncomfortable to sleep in.

I sat on the edge of the bed with my back to Jake as I crossed my arms over my chest. I felt exposed, I was eager for him to hand me a shirt but didn't have the courage to speak up and let him know I was ready for it.

I was quite shy about him seeing me half naked. I didn't think I was ugly, but I was nervous of his opinion of me. I was slender but my curves were well-proportioned. My legs were long and shapely, my hips were wide and my stomach was flat. I didn't have the largest breasts in the bunch, but they were heavy and quite generous to the eye.

I wondered would he like my body.

"You alright, Super girl?" he asked me, startling me as I felt his weight nearby on the bed.

"Um, yeah – I need that shirt." I mumbled bashfully, my cheeks stained red.

"It's behind you."

I glanced over my shoulder and descried he was sitting right behind me, his back to me. He was still shirtless but he wore grey sweats on his bottom. I reached for the shirt and slipped it on quickly, buttoning it down in the front. It was a white button up dress shirt, large in size – so much that it fit me like a dress [it stopped at my mid-thigh] and I had to roll up the sleeves because they were so lengthy.

I sat on the bed, leering at him as he remained quiet. I removed the accessory from my hair and sat it on the nightstand – away from the unlit candle. "Jake…" I whispered, crawling over to him. I was still being too shy to touch him for some reason. "Are you okay?" I placed a hand on his shoulder.

He turned to me, chuckling lightly. "Wow…" he lifted his hand slowly to ghost his fingers over my cheek. I bit my lip after I shut my eyes, begging him to touch me. "You're so lovely." he whispered. "Can I hold you, Sherry?"

I nodded keeping my eyes closed, my cheeks seemed to be permanently flushed. I felt him pull me closer to him eventually my upper body was against his. I wrapped my arms around his middle and released a blissful sigh as he ran his fingers through my hair. His skin felt so soft to the touch as my fingers traced over his back.

I felt him blow gently on my neck and I shivered all over. "Jake…" I moaned softly, pulling away from him – I wanted to tell him something before I submitted entirely to him. "I… I've never done this before."

He inhaled the scent of my hair deeply before exhaling slowly. "Don't be afraid, I'm just gonna rock you to sleep, sweet girl." he chuckled. "You need the rest."

I tried to protest but he quieted me by pulling me down onto the soft bed. We lay facing each other, his arms were still around me, and my hands were resting against his chest. I swallowed sharply and prepared to ask him a question that I feared the answer to.

"Jake, have you – done this?" I asked him weakly. _Have you ever been this close to someone that made your heart do flips? Have you ever felt like you were in heaven with someone? Have you ever held someone in your arms while you lay with them, longing for them more than you could ever believe?_

Our eyes locked and I waited anxiously for his reply.

He shifted a bit. "Why?" he asked me, almost curiously.

I didn't like that response – well question he gave me. I felt a spark ignite in me and the next thing I knew, I was on top of him, straddling him. My legs were on either side of him while my middle was over his. My hands were on his chest as I stared down at him.

He was amused by this, made obvious by his smirk. He tried to sit up but I stopped him. "Don't… don't move." I told him, softly. I wanted him but I was not about to let him completely dominate me. "Jake please tell me. I'm new to all of this – I don't want to upset you but I'm just curious."

_Come on, Sherry – look at him, he's gorgeous. There's no way he wouldn't have had sex. _

He just watched me, saying nothing as his eyes danced over every ounce of me. I felt my breath catch, I was nervous for his answer. Why was he taking so long to reply?

I was afraid. If he did have girlfriends before me, how was I to know if I was more to him than they were? What if they were prettier than me? Maybe they had long hair and didn't have so much emotional baggage like I did?

I felt defeated before I even got an answer – but he was taking so long to tell me. I was completely frustrated. I tried to slide off him only to feel his hands grip my waist firmly, keeping me there. "Sherry…" he whispered, I couldn't face him, I looked everywhere but at him. I was afraid I would start crying. "Sherry, please look at me."

I was shaking, fighting off tears and fighting my self-doubts. I wanted to leave – go to my bed and sleep. Dealing with all of this made me feel tired.

"Come on, look at me baby girl." his hands rubbed my lower back and I felt that familiar tingle between my legs. I sniffed and tried to pry his hands off of me but he was like a statue, he wasn't going to release me. "Look at me." he instructed, his voice was soft and husky.

I felt one of his hands leave my back to grip my chin lightly, and then made me meet his gaze once again. I couldn't read him, his eyes were cloudy, his mouth a thin line.

"Give me your hands, Sherry." he commanded me softly. His hands left my body as he held them out in front of me. I slowly presented my own and gasped when he intertwined my fingers with his own. He pulled me down on top of him.

I could do nothing but stare into his cerulean eyes.

"Ever since was 14, all I did was come across girls who wanted me to bang them." he started. "One day, when I was 15, I met this girl who said she loved me. I had no idea what that was. She was an older girl, maybe 19 so she had her own place. She invited me over and next thing I knew she's butt-naked and trying to get on my junk…"

I listened to him but felt quite jealous. I didn't like the idea of any girl touching him. _Hmm, I'm possessive of him like he is for me…_

"I pushed her off and left." he sighed and paused for a moment. "That continued to happen for a while. When I turned 17, I had a few friends that wanted me to get with this girl just because she had a huge rack." he made a disgusted face. "I didn't want to. I let one of my other boys have her – heh, jokes on that idiot, she got pregnant with his kid."

I smiled a bit, humored by him. "I looked around me Sherry – I saw nothing, no one that truly 'called' to me, ya know? I couldn't bring myself to just fuck anything. Mom's always told me that the right girl would come along – I just needed to be patient."

"But after a while, I gave up on it. I just busied my life with the fights, parties and uh, _crime_." he grinned sheepishly. I couldn't help it – I laughed at him, and then shook my head. "I know, I'm a criminal – but moving on." he let out a huff. "I just didn't care anymore – I flirted, took numbers, threw 'em away and did this over and over… until you showed up."

I gasped quietly, he released my hands and wrapped his arms around my entire upper body, pressing my chest flat on top of him. "Okay, I'm gonna tell you something super corny, gay and embarrassing and you better not laugh at me." I nodded, fighting back a snicker. "I mean it, not even a snicker – damn sure better not giggle or some shit." he grumbled.

"I understand." I nodded to him with a smile.

"I told myself all these years I would wait for that one particular girl to show up. I waited for her, I wasn't gonna settle for anything else. I wasn't interested in a quick fuck – no… I wanted to find that one girl to show up in front of me wearing fishnets, heels and a pretty face who would show me she was different and then tell me how I could change my life for the better – and _then_ she'd fuck my brains out."

I couldn't stop myself. I burst into a fit of laughter. I felt him pinching me through the shirt and I cried out apologies but I just couldn't help it. I wiped away my tears and sniffed at his annoyed expression.

"S-sorry… it's not you, it's the thought of it." I choked out, tears in my eyes.

"I don't see what's so funny about my dream girl." he growled, with slanted eyes. "Especially since my dream girl is _you_ down to a **t**."

I froze. "W-what?"

"All these years, I waited for you." he told me, earnestly. "The first time I saw you and then when I saw you at the fight, you were trying to hide your face but I knew it was you because you were glowing. It was strange… you were the brightest thing there."

He let out a chuckle then. "You wore fishnets and fucking heels that night." my jaw dropped. "This _glow _of yours… I've never seen a girl like you – you're _different_." he grinned.

"It's because of you that I'm making some changes – I like you, Super girl, I like you a **lot**. In fact, I like you so much that I uh… want you to be mine."

I took it all in. I was his dream girl, he waited all his life for me without even knowing me, I changed his life for him, and to sum it all up – he wanted me to be his. I observed him, there was a demure smile on his face – he'd just confessed his feelings for me. This meant that our feelings were mutual.

A God honest smile came to my face and I laughed, throwing my arms around him. "Jake – you have no idea how happy you've made me!" I told him, tears falling from my eyes.

"Glad I can make you smile, Super girl." he laughed, holding me tightly. He raised his knees so that my middle and upper torso pressed firmly against his. "I'd do anything to keep you happy because well – you make me happy."

I shifted so I could look at him. He was serious and there was a fire in his blue glazed eyes. I felt a jolt go through my entire body when one of his hands slid down my body to touch my thigh with his index finger. That little skin to skin contact was enough to make me gasp.

He wrapped his other hand around the back of my neck and leered to me in the dimly lit room. His eyes were so lovely in the light. "Sherry…?" he whispered so softly it was barely audible, but his voice was so deep and enthralling.

"Hmm?" I hummed.

"Can I kiss you?" I nodded and he kissed my forehead. After a moment, he asked again. "Can I kiss you again?" I consented and this time, his kissed the tip of my nose. I squirmed on top of him. "May I kiss you once more?" this time I couldn't contain the moan that escaped me and as a result, he kissed my cheek. My face was burning from the contact, I felt like I was losing myself. "Can I kiss you one more time?" I nodded, mesmerized by him – wondering what he would kiss next.

He claimed my lips.

At first the kiss was short and sweet, but once we pulled away the second time, passion consumed us and it took a more heated turn. I had never been kissed before but with Jake, it all felt so natural. Our tongues danced with each other and while at first we were clumsy and quite sloppy, we eventually found a balance that satisfied us.

We pulled away and gasped for breath. His lips were soft against mine and I couldn't help that I chewed his bottom lip a bit, it was swollen because of me. His hands found the top of my stockings and he played with it, his eyes never leaving mine.

"You're so sweet." he purred to me. "You're _my_ Halloween candy." he grinned.

I giggled. "You're silly."

He hummed, and fingered a button on the shirt. "May I touch you, _naughty_ girl?" I nodded.

I shivered as his eyes locked on my breasts – my nipples were hard and visible through the shirt because despite how hot I was feeling, the temperature in the room wasn't the same.

"So beautiful…." he whispered, I blushed. "Where can I touch you?" he asked, he looked eager but demure. I took his hands and placed them on my chest where my heart was.

"Jake, promise me you won't leave me." I begged him. "Promise me you'll be good to me." the feelings going through me were insane. I wanted to be with him so bad.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sherry – and I won't be good to you, I'll be **great** to you."

I crushed my lips against his once again, I was fervid and full of want for him. His lips devoured mine as he broke away and started trailing kisses down my neck, along my collar bone. I whimpered and moaned, enjoying his lips on my skin. I ran my hands all over his chiseled chest while he nipped and licked my skin.

"You're a dream." he purred in my ear. "You're so beautiful… so soft - so perfect."

His hands traveled between us to fondle my breasts. I groaned and sat up to let him explore my body – his touch made me ache down there. Suddenly, I could feel his member swell and start throbbing against me. I growled and rubbed myself on it through his two layers of clothing.

"Ah, _Jake_…" I whined, feeling needy.

His hands squeezed my breasts and then he gently begun rolling his thumbs over my nipples through the shirt. I released a satisfied moan and he bit his lip before looking up at me. "You like it?" he choked out.

"Yes." I purred, grinding harder on top of him – desperate for some sort of relief.

I noticed he was grinding upwards to me. I gasped, the pleasure was stimulating. I ran one of my hands down to his abdomen and traced every muscle on his sturdy chest with my other hand. I had never felt this way before. I was ablaze with desire for him.

Suddenly he flipped me over and my back collided with the soft bed and silk satin sheets. I gazed up at him, longingly. He hovered over me, his eyes were cloudy, piercing through me as he watched me for a moment – something was holding him back, I could feel it.

"Jake, please…" I begged, unsure what I wanted.

"Gods you're _beautiful_, Sherry… but we've gotta slow down." he breathed, sending me a pleading look. I squirmed, unable to bear the ache, I asked why but he just shook his head.

My eyes caught sight of a wet stain where his stiff length protruded out from his sweats. "What is that, Jake?" I asked, fidgeting about, restless. Just seeing how long he was through his pants was invoking a reaction from me.

He looked down and then back to me. "That's from you." he smirked. "That lacey thing of yours isn't really good with creating a barrier, huh?"

I blushed, embarrassed. "Oh gosh… I'm sorry." I whimpered, closing my legs slowly. I felt shamed.

He put his hands on my knees. "You've got nothing to be ashamed of, I think that's normal..." he blushed a little himself and I giggled at his awkward charm. "That's my girl." he moved between my legs but didn't rest on top of me, instead, he continued to hover. "Try to relax okay? I don't want to rush anything." I nodded and leaned back against a pillow with a sigh.

He lowered his head and kissed me once more, gently running his hands through my short hair. Our tongues danced and wrestled with each other. He took my breath away. He gazed into my eyes before rubbing his nose against mine.

A large part of me was desperate for him to do something to stop my aching need, but the other part of me knew I was wrong for this. We were just supposed to be getting closer, not having sex.

I blushed once I realized this. I was just so overcome with desire I couldn't help myself. I'd never been this close to a man before and I wasn't sure what to do.

I felt embarrassed again – ashamed to be behaving like a horny schoolgirl.

"It's alright, Sherry." Jake told me, cupping my face. "I'm fighting off a demon myself." he laughed lightly, and then he sighed. "Sherry, we're both new to this – there ain't no experts here."

"But Jake, I –"

"Shh…" he put his finger to my lips. "I squeezed your tits, didn't I? It's alright, Sherry – we both just reacted to each other. That's a good thing, right? Besides, I was grinding with ya."

He tickled me a little and I laughed. "Thanks Jake, you really are wonderful to me."

He pulled me into his arms and we both collapsed onto the bed, my head rested on his chest and I listened to his heart beating. He kissed my forehead. "Sherry, before we make 'that' step, I'd like to take you out on a few dates, show you some sights and take you to a few parties first. So for now, I think holding and showering you with kisses is good."

I smiled, he was being so sweet. He was everything to me. He wanted so much for us together. "I like you Jake. I like you a lot."

"You're all _mine_, Sherry." he smirked.

I let out a laugh. "And you're all _mine_, Jake."

A couple of minutes later, I drifted off into dreams. For the first time in my life, I felt without worry and fear. I felt safe. I felt safe with Jake beside me - I knew he wouldn't leave me.

* * *

A/N: This is the longest chapter yet now. It's like every chapter gets longer…

I hope you guys/girls liked it! I considered breaking this into two chaps but changed my mind. Well, this was the final part of Halloween. The next chapters to come are gonna be very revealing. We're also up for a time-skip either next chapter or the one afterwards…

The next chapter will be very informing for Piers and Helena but also Jake and Sherry. So… now that these couples are items – let's see how far they're willing to go for each other. Excella's words in this chapter are quite important for the future too [hint hint]

I raised the rating for precautions. The rating system here on FF is so picky I usually just go for M whenever things get steamy. I tried to portray Jake and Sherry as two people with feelings for each other but just don't know how to go about anything – that's why they aren't saying "I love you" and things – that's also why they fumble around awkwardly with each other.

Well I'll see you lovelies around! I appreciate all the reviews – they made me smile a lot! Any questions/concerns feel free to contact me, I'll be sure to respond. :D

-Vio


	11. Red String of Fate

Chapter 11:

Red String of Fate

* * *

"You ready to go, Mar?" I asked, zipping up his D.C comic's lunch bag after I made sure he had a juice box.

"Yep!" he chirped to me with a grin.

I took his little hand in mine as we circled around the kitchen's island, to the hall. I helped him to slip on his coat and boots and then I did the same. Within minutes, we were out the door and headed towards his school.

Typical Monday - the streets were busy as always. The bus stop was lined with people as they waited. Mar and I brushed past them as we were on our way.

Many were out walking and talking to friends and on the phone. Their conversations usually consisted of complaints over how the early mornings were never a joy [I couldn't help but think 9:00 am was a perfect time for people to be up and about].

The early morning November air was slowly growing cooler by the day but I'd grown to appreciate the lovely London weather – it wasn't too cold for the time of year. Despite this I'd dressed Mar in some warmer clothing so he wouldn't catch a cold just in case. The wind was strong, the breeze was notably chilly and although the day was young, the skies were grey and ugly.

As we closed in on the school, his caretaker met us at the door. She was an older woman, perhaps in her mid-40's with grey to her dirty blonde hair, wrinkles here and there on her face and the tired look to her eye. She was a nice woman, she always greeted us with a smile and Mar was so fond of her, he addressed her as _Nanna_.

I crouched down to give Mar a warm hug and a kiss on his forehead before handing his caretaker his bags. She thanked me before taking Mar's hand in hers and departing into the small school. He waved to me as he entered and I did the same. I wished him a good day, and then made my leave to return to the Wesker home.

A week had passed since Jake and I had made our first step into the relationship. Unfortunately, we barely had time for each other but when we did, we had fun and we definitely had become more comfortable with each other.

During our alone time, we managed to enjoy each other's company by watching movies in the lounge or playing video games - which was fun because we competed pretty fiercely with each other.

He was a big fan of the game God of War and I took a liking to Tomb Raider. We bickered over which was better constantly.

We also couldn't agree on scary games - specifically Fatal Frame and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I was scared of both and Jake [typical] was fearless. I dared him to download the game onto the music room computer and being a cocky jerk, he did.

I'd buried my face into his chest as he played and while he may have jumped a few times, he remained stoic through the game.

There wasn't a term to define Jake and my relationship. We were friends and lovers – we were taking things slow so we could feel each other out. Neither of us pushed the other into anything. Each time we got intimate, we asked each other what the other was comfortable with before we acted. I appreciated this about our relationship.

I wanted more than anything to sleep another night with Jake - to wake up in his arms like I did Halloween night. However, Mar had been sleeping with me the past week - he was starting to have nightmares for some reason and I refused to abandon him while he needed me.

I could still remember waking up in Jake's arms that morning...

~.~.~

I remember feeling warm, smelling his cologne and attributing it to being a part of his being - it was his essence, it was all him. Before I even opened my eyes, my lips kissed his collar bone ever so gently so I wouldn't stir him.

My body lay on his hard chest and with my eyes closed, I felt him breath - my hands slowly etched along every cut in the muscles of his chest and abdomen.

I remember sighing blissfully before I finally blinked my eyes open. The room was still barely lit as when I dozed off that night except the dull burning fire from the fireplace.

My eyes danced around in the dark, I didn't move - I was too sated just relishing, enjoying the sound of his heart beating steadily in his chest and his even breathing.

I remember wondering what time it was - somehow not caring if I was waking up too late. I just wanted to stay there but I knew I couldn't. I slowly untangled myself from him, lifting the arm he'd wrapped around me sometime during the night from me as I started to slip from the bed.

I can remember my feet touched the floor for only a second until I was snatched back onto the bed, his arms wrapped tightly around my middle as his face was buried in my hair.

A moment later, I was pinned beneath him as he showered me with kisses everywhere on my face and neck.

As our lips met, I remember how I melted into him - he was so passionate, so gentle and yet I could feel everything he was trying to say to me.

He wanted me to stay a little longer because God only knew the next chance he would get to hold me that way - to kiss me that way...

Because for all we knew, life could occupy us so much that our chances of moments like that would be few...

It hurt so much to know it was true.

~.~.~

_Maybe today we can... _

I stuck my key into the front door and entered the home. I sighed as I hung my coat in the front closet. It felt good to be out of the cold.

I made my way to the kitchen to get a glass of water when the lounge doors opened and out popped Jake. I smiled before wrapping my arms around his middle - he returned the gesture and kissed my hair before we separated.

"Good morning." I chimed softly, retrieving a glass from the cabinet.

"Mornin', Super girl." he grumbled tiredly, sitting upon one of the stools around the island.

"You have any plans for today?" I asked, filling my glass with water and then leaned over the countertop to look him in the face. He'd been busy the last two days working on something with his father - I hoped he would be home for the next few days to spend time with me.

"Hmm, nothin' I can think of." he replied. "Want me to make some coffee?"

"That sounds fantastic." I sighed, sipping my water.

As he prepared the coffee, I fixed him some breakfast since he always missed it - everyone else didn't [Mrs. Stephanie didn't because I always brought hers to her]. I started with his bacon and sausages, and then followed up with some toast and eggs.

I placed his food on a plate once it was finished and trailed behind him to the dining area where we sat opposite each other. He placed my coffee mug in front of me and I offered him his plate.

I sipped my coffee and hummed, savoring the taste. "This is good."

"Hmph, glad ya like it." he replied. He offered me a piece of bacon which I graciously accepted. "So Super girl, what're you up to today?"

"Nothing much, just going to do the daily chores, pick up wherever I need to and maybe read a book and munch on some cake before I go pick up Mar later."

"Hmm, sounds boring." he dragged.

I let out a dry laugh. "It is." I sipped my coffee once more and stared out the window at the dreary day outside.

"How about instead of being boring, you come visit me in the basement for a while?"

I blushed. "What are we going to do?" I asked coyly.

He chuckled deeply, his eyes flashed as he smirked at me. "You'll see."

* * *

I was hoping he'd planned for us to spend some time romancing each other - I was dumbfounded by what he really had up his sleeve.

He told me to meet him in the gym room after I completed my tasks. The gym was in the basement, past his bedroom at the far end of the hallway. There was a glass door that slid open and shut for entry and exit. When I entered, I stood at the door and called out for Jake as I observed the room.

The floors were covered in a soft carpet, sandy in color. There was exercise machines everywhere, a punching bag with a few pairs of gloves nearby, a few mats laid about, bar bells were scattered as well. A huge TV hung in one corner of the room along an entire wall of mirrors. There was an opening that led to a restroom from what I could make out, the tile inside covered the floors and walls and was white with brown-yellow shade too.

I stepped a little more into the room and noticed a white double door closet, and some feet away, there was a tall traditional white refrigerator.

I was about to call out for Jake once more when he emerged from behind me. I was about to greet him when I took in his attire – a white fitted beater, blue knee length shorts and gym shoes.

Shortly after, he handed me a towel, water bottle, mat and a set of clothing consisting of a pink sports bra and some very short black spandex shorts, and lastly a pair of my gym shoes that he somehow retrieved from my room.

How he knew my clothes size was beyond me – then again, it was _Jake_.

My mouth was slightly agape as I stared at his amused grin. I tried to speak but he put a black sweat band around my head.

"J-Jake -" I tried to protest but he put his index finger to my lips, silencing me.

"Come on Super girl, it's time to get that pretty little body of yours in tip-top shape!" he announced. He was apparently very comfortable with this decision of his.

"W-What?! Jake, what are you -"

"You could use some exercise, Super girl." he patted my back three times and I almost fell forward with everything in my hands.

_What did he just say...?!_ "A-Are you saying I'm _fat_, Jake Wesker?!" I asked a little offended - he may not have said it but it certainly felt implied!

He looked taken aback. "Wha? No, no, no - you're _beautiful_, Sherry." he waved dismissively. "I'm just sayin' - it can't hurt to get on the treadmill for -"

I frowned darkly to him, ready to explode. "**Jake**!" I growled.

He chuckled sheepishly. "S-Sorry baby, I was just hoping you wouldn't mind some endurance train -...?"

I stared hard at him, waiting for him to disappear before I kicked him. "**Jake**..."

"No really! Come on, Sherry!" he looked completely helpless - I was enjoying it. A sly smirk came to his face then and I frowned more. "Unless you're perfectly okay with me being the top dog in the bedroom...?"

I gasped before pouting. I surely did like the idea but I couldn't let him dominate me so easily. "Stop it Jake!"

He laughed. "Alright then - go get changed and we'll get started!"

After I finished my tenth push-up, I collapsed to the soft carpet floor gasping for air. Jake was one hell of a fitness instructor. He made me do 15 sit ups, 10 push-ups, 20 squats, 50 jumping jacks, and I dreaded what was to come next. I reached for my bottled water in front of me, groaning as I pushed myself off the floor so I could drink from it.

"Damn Super girl, you look like you've had enough." Jake teased from beside me. He had done the workout along with me yet he looked like he hadn't done a thing. He did triple the amount he told me to do for each exercise, it baffled me that he wasn't exhausted.

"N-No way..." I panted, as I wiped away a bead of sweat from my forehead. "I-I'm no... quitter." I didn't want to show him any weakness but I couldn't keep this up. I wasn't sure how I would manage to pick up Mar if I continued to push myself beyond my limits.

Jake sighed at me before flipping himself over to lay on his back. His eyes traveled to me and a smile came to his face. "Take it easy, we've been at it for a while and we've gotta get the little guy in the next hour. We'll call it a day, pick up tomorrow where we left off so we can get you on a regular routine." he stood up and stretched out his arms before offering me a hand. "Come on, we could both use a shower."

I took his hand, he pulled me gently to a stand. I decided to take his advice, I was sweaty and uncomfortable - a shower was a must. As I started for the door, his hands found my waist and halted me.

"Where ya going?" he asked me with a brow raised. "The showers are this way." he pointed to the restroom.

"Oh, I had no idea." I said moving there, Jake was right beside me. "Um, what are you doing...?"

He smirked. "There's more than one shower back there sweetheart."

I blushed and fiddled with my fingers. "Oh my... Jake I -"

"Don't worry, I'll use a stall a few blocks over so I won't see ya nude." he assured, messing up my hair with his large hand. "Unless you want me to?" I squeaked and he just laughed. "Nah, I'm only teasin' - let's go."

I followed behind him, my cheeks were flaming with blush.

We entered the restroom. One area consisted of five sinks and five toilets stalls with doors for privacy, the whole room was lit up by the bright light fixtures over the sinks. There was another sliding door past all of this that was glass. I followed behind Jake as he opened the glass and ushered me inside first.

The showers were here - five in a line against the wall before us. They were encased in glass stalls and there wasn't a curtain in sight. Through the glass doors, I could make out simple knobs for heat control and the shower heads. There looked to be a spot for body soaps, washes and shampoos.

There was a long wood bench right before the showers, I fancied I could place my things there. The opposite walls contained bathrobes and towels folded neatly.

_Jake must do all the cleaning down here - considering I wasn't allowed down here until recently._

Jake had surely planned my coming here. He even brought my shampoo and body wash for me. He must have taken it from my room when he grabbed my sneakers. I accepted my things along with a blue towel as he handed them to me. I noticed the clothes that I'd worn before our workout were neatly folded into the pile he'd given me as well.

"Thanks." I said softly as I breezed over to the shower. I sat my things on the bench and opened the middle stall's door, turned on the water and tested the water temperature for when I would get in.

Before I removed the sports bra, I paused and glanced to my left at Jake. He was removing his own shirt. I watched, fighting back a drool - he was so tempting when he had sweat glistening his skin. I bit my lip to wake myself up - I couldn't run over and jump him. Despite us being comfy with each other, I still found myself shy - I much preferred him to initiate while I just worked him over from there.

Hearing him let out a huff, I realized he was trying to turn on the water for the stall farthest from me. It didn't appear to be working. He growled and tapped his chin, appearing to be in thought. I sighed, deciding him working so hard wasn't necessary. He could take the one next to me - I didn't mind much...

_I don't mind at all_.

"Jake..." I started coyly as I met his curious eyes. "It's okay, you can take the one next to me."

He raised a brow. "You sure?" I nodded with a blush. "Hmph, alright - just don't faint if you see something you like."

I gasped and turned away immediately. "J-Just turn around so I can get undressed..." I glanced over my shoulder and didn't miss that little blush that came to his handsome face. He turned around and I slowly peeled off the sweaty sticky clothing.

I pulled my socks and shoes off last and then grabbed my soap and shampoo as I quickly jumped into the shower stall, shutting it behind me. I stood under the showerhead enjoying the water pressure as I lathered myself down in soap. I didn't dare glance over at Jake, I wasn't sure I could handle seeing his manly parts and just do _nothing_...

The glass all around me was fogged from steaming hot water. I rinsed the suds from my hair and followed up rinsing the remainders from my skin. Afterwards, I just stood there, my mind full of wonders.

"Jake?"

"What's up, Super girl?"

I swallowed before speaking. "Jake, could we go out sometime?" I felt myself blushing. "I… I would like to do something with you - just the two of us."

I heard him chuckle. "Are you asking me on a date, baby girl?"

"Jake! Oh you jerk…"

He laughed. "I'm teasin' you baby. I've got some things planned for us but that won't be 'til the weekend. You think you could hang on 'til then?"

I smiled. "Yes, I can."

"Good, in the meantime, you think Firehead would mind looking after the little guy tomorrow?"

His nickname for Claire was pretty fitting – she was a fiery girl. "I can call her and see – why, what do you have planned?"

"You'll see."

"Last time you said that, I wound up here working myself to the point of exhaustion." he laughed at me and I peeked over in his direction, the steam prevented me from seeing anything. I was a little disappointed. "Um, Jake, may I ask you a few questions?"

He was quiet for a few moments, finally he responded. "Depends on what they are."

"I have just a few - but what are some questions you're okay answering?"

"Hmph, none but I guess I don't have a choice now do I?"

I played with my wet hair a bit. "There's a lot of questions I have for you... I'd appreciate it if you could answer a few of them for me - it would give me some comfort." I said softly over the sound of the showers.

Another pause, then: "I'll answer any questions you ask – so long as we take them a level at a time. For example, I'll tell you why I haven't slept in my old room in a long time. I'll tell you who those three guys were on Halloween... and I'm sure you get the picture. Then we'll talk about more as time goes on."

I tapped my chin a bit. "That sounds fine – when will you be able to answer them for me?"

"We can try after we bring Mar home. We can put him to sleep and then talk."

I nodded to myself, understanding him. At least I would be learning something - but first... "Jake, are those two questions related somehow?"

"_You'll see_."

* * *

Mar and I were in the kitchen when a pretty bad thunderstorm came. Mar had just finished eating a grilled cheese sandwich, the lightning struck outside and caught both of us off guard. I quickly cleaned him up, pulled him into my arms and swiftly moved to my bedroom. I sat him on the bed before leaving back out to flick off the lights in the kitchen and hallway - then returned to my room with him.

We remained there for a short period. The storm seemed relentless but not as bad as the one Jake and I suffered a black out through.

I kept the lights out hoping we wouldn't lose power because of the storm. We were left with the lantern Jake and I had used once before. I placed it on my nightstand to provide light for the whole room. Beside me, Mar was sleeping peacefully having relaxed enough to finally take a nap some time ago.

I stared out my window at the storm. Mrs. Stephanie told me that it rained a lot in November in London, I was just expecting to see some snow or something soon because I was so used to America. I was quite relieved that London wasn't very cold - in fact, the weather was decent, even on rainy days.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the front door.

_Who could that be during a storm like this? _

I slid out of my bed, took the lantern and made for the door. I peeked through the peeping hole and could only make out a dark figure. I assumed it wouldn't be Jake or Mr. Wesker because they had keys so I asked for them to identify themselves and was stunned - it was Piers!

I sat the lantern on the coffee table and quickly opened the door, allowing him inside. He closed his umbrella as he stepped inside and I eyed his wet shoes and coat.

"Piers, oh God what happened?!" I asked worried. I tried to take his coat and things from him but he backed away.

"Sherry, I hate to bother you but is Helena here?"

I felt a pang in my stomach. "N-No, why? What's going on?" He tried to leave but I gripped his hand tightly, stopping him. "Piers, stop - the storm outside is getting worse, you better come inside and wait -"

"I can't!" he snapped. "I can't find Helena! I tried calling her, I texted her more than I can count - I even stopped by her house and she wasn't there!"

I shivered, feeling my nerves kick in. "Okay, okay - calm down, I'll go see if I can call Jake - maybe she's with him."

That seemed to calm him just a bit. I picked up the lantern and pulled Piers with me towards the kitchen, but not before I helped him remove his wet coat. I stepped into the laundry room for a second to snag a clean towel for him to dry off with.

We arrived in the kitchen and I lead him to the dining area where we could sit and chat. I sat the lantern in the center of the table where it successfully lit the area.

"I'm going to give Jake a call and see if he knows where she is. In the meantime, you try and relax. We'll find her Piers - don't worry." I patted his hand a few times subsequently giving him a reassuring smile.

"Thanks Sher, I appreciate your help." he tried to smile but couldn't force it.

I practically jogged to my room to retrieve my cell. I tip toed inside to not disturb Mar and once I had it in my hands, I returned. I dialed Jake's number and prayed he would be able to provide some help.

Jake had expressed to me that he had some business to take care of - some sort of favor for his dad. Earlier, I was disappointed that our little chat was being put on hold but I cut him a break – he had responsibilities, I had no right to be upset with him for that.

I crossed my fingers as the line tried to connect, I hoped he would answer in the storm - even though it was a pretty bad idea.

Finally, a click followed by the sound of his voice. "What's up, Super girl?" he greeted me, it wasn't too cheerful – more so troubled…

"Jake, I'm sorry - I know it's storming and I shouldn't be calling but Piers is here. He's looking for Helena, he says he tried calling her - he even stopped by her house -"

"Tell him she's with me." I sighed feeling relieved. "We'll be there in a bit, you two try to take it easy 'til we get there, alright?"

"Okay, see you soon." I breathed and after he responded, I ended the call.

"Piers, she's fine - she's with Jake and they're on their way here."

Piers just nodded, his head was lowered - he was obviously very upset. I felt sorry for him, he ran all around looking for the girl he most likely was in love with - only to find out she was safe and didn't answer the phone for God knows why. I was sure she had a good reason for not responding but we would just have to wait until they returned.

I walked over to Piers and sat in front of him. When I placed my hand on top of his, he raised his head slowly, he hadn't been crying but he looked a mix of devastation and chagrin - I didn't blame him one bit.

"Are you alright, Piers?" I asked concerned.

"Why?" he started quietly, I could tell he was angry despite his tone. "Why didn't she just tell me she was with him? Why doesn't she trust me?"

I bit my lip. "I'm sure she has an explanation -"

"We're supposed to be together yet she keeps everything from me." he sent me a look. "You're a girl - why do women have so many trust issues?" he laughed a bit, though it wasn't a cheerful one.

I shook my head then smiled. "I don't think it's about gender, Piers. I think our history establishes our ability to trust people - no matter our gender."

"Sometimes I wish things were the way they used to be. Back when she and I were innocent - before the world scarred us so much."

I blinked curious of his words. "What do you mean, Piers?" I noticed he shivered a bit. "How about I get us some tea? That should calm our nerves." I chimed softly, trying to comfort him.

"That sounds great, Sher." he sighed. I gave his hand a squeeze before making my way to the kitchen.

I had made tea while Mar ate his sandwich earlier so we were lucky it was still quite warm. I prepared both of us a cup and returned to the table shortly afterwards, offering him his cup.

"Thank you, Sherry." he lulled softly. "That helps a lot."

I smiled. "Glad to help." I hummed a little while I thought of something to say. Piers beat me to the punch.

"I remember her from our youth..." he started suddenly. I listened quietly. "We grew up together in America. We were happy, life was amazing back then."

"What changed?" I asked meekly.

"I was 16 years old, she was 14 - at such a young age, I knew I had found my soul mate. She's always been so divine to me - I never wanted to part from her. It's a bit embarrassing but uh, she's my childhood sweetheart..." I smiled, thinking it was quite cute. He frowned suddenly and my smile dissipated. "It was that same year that we were separated and I lost her..."

"Why?" I asked interested in his tale.

"My father's job needed me and my family to relocate. The day that I found out we were going to be separated, I promised Helena that no matter what happened, I would never forget her and that one day we would meet again... and she would be mine once again."

I squealed. "That's so romantic…" I hummed.

He blushed and then resumed his story. "For two years we wrote letters to each other and occasionally we talked over the phone. When I turned 18, my father presented me with the opportunity to join the BSAA - it's kind of a different branch of the army, we targeted bio-weaponry crimes and anything related to it. I joined it without question because I knew that it presented me with an opportunity to return to Helena after I served."

"I tried to tell her my plans but a few months before I was to join, I was unable to contact her in any way. It devastated me... the only thing I could do was pray she was alright and join the BSAA so that I could one day find her."

A dole smile came to his handsome face and he sipped his tea once more before he spoke again. "Fate has a way of bringing people together it seems. When I turned 22, I stayed in the states for a whole year searching for Helena but I couldn't find her. I almost gave up, but then Steve called me earlier this year and told me he wanted to surprise me for my 24th birthday by showing me a 'chick fight'. I wasn't very interested but I decided to come here just to get away from all the painful memories…"

"Imagine my surprise when one of the fighters was _Helena_, my Helena." he looked at me, eyes containing a light I would see whenever Mar looked at me or Claire saw a football player she liked too much.

A question came to me. "Piers, that day when you and I met, it wasn't your first time seeing her there?"

He shook his head. "The first time I saw her, I was unable to push myself to speak to her. Heh, imagine that, a trained and disciplined man like myself unnerved by the woman of my dreams - but it's true. I was so shocked by her presence I was frozen in place. From that point on, I attended the fights just to see her and find the courage to call out to her. I'd gone to every show since to see if she would show up so one day I could catch her attention."

"Finally I caught her after the fight and when I tried to talk to her she flipped out and tried fighting me. I was able to restrain her but she told me to go away." he leaned back in his chair.

I pouted, saddened by the idea of the two feeling turmoil. "Why was she fighting you?"

"I wish I knew. To this day, I have no clue. She used to be so playful and cheery - I mean, she's always been stubborn and 'too tough for sappy lover boys like myself'," he laughed and I joined him, that really sounded like her. "But she looked at me with fear in her eyes that day, like I would hurt her... I could never hurt her. I love her - with everything in me."

_Helena's a lucky girl and she doesn't even realize it. _

Piers continued. "Jake's the reason why she's actually calmed down enough to even try talking to me. At first she wouldn't come near me, let alone touch me. I don't know what Jake's told her but she's slowly started to loosen up some. She calls me, she hugs me, she's really gotten better but something's wrong. I want to help her but she's locked her heart away again. Whenever she doesn't answer the phone it usually means something's bugging her."

"Why are she and Jake so close, if you don't mind me asking?" I wondered.

He sighed. "I don't know the whole story but I do know that they've known each other for years."

"Have they - you know, dated before?"

Piers raised a brow and then chuckled a bit. "I doubt it. Jake's like a little brother to Helena and he looks out for her like an older sister. Even Jake's little brother calls her 'sis' from time to time."

I sighed, feeling appeased. "Sorry, it's just I have no clue about a lot that's going around me. A lot of the time it feels like everyone knows something - including Jake and they're all hiding things from me. It bothers me because I would love for Jake to talk to me but he always puts me on hold."

Piers stood up and took the chair beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "Seems like we're two of a kind." he joked dryly. "Maybe one day things will change - until then, I won't ever give up on Helena. Never." he looked me in the eye and gave me an assuring smile. "I know you won't give up on Jake either."

I returned the smile and nodded to him. "I want to be with him no matter what."

"Good, because I'm going to see to it that this stops. Helena's my girl and I won't stand for her venting elsewhere. From this point on, I'm going to make sure she talks to me, not Jake. I think it's time we both put our foot down, don't you agree Sherry?"

"Absolutely!" I beamed.

I realized that we were all the same: Jake, Piers, Helena and myself. Jake and Piers both nearly gave up trying to find the girl of their dreams until they found Helena and me, now they were going out of their way to do right by us. Helena and Jake both had so much to hide and were afraid to tell Piers and myself, I wasn't sure why but I hoped the answer would come soon. Piers and I were both just trying to be a support system for the ones we cared for and wouldn't give up on them because they meant too much to us. We weren't going anywhere.

It was time they realized that.

I sighed and took both of Piers hands into my own. He looked at me, puzzled but I smiled warmly. "Piers, this is just my take on things but… I truly believe it was the red string of fate that united you two." I warbled, feeling tenderized by his tale of love lost and the opportunity for it again. "And with heaven's mercy, you two will rekindle that bond you share – so you can be together without despair."

They were like a bedtime story about star-crossed lovers that wouldn't stop until they were together – I could only pray they wouldn't end up Romeo and Juliet or Hero and Leander. No, I hoped they weren't star-crossed – I hoped their love was written in the stars, not impeded by them.

"The red string of fate…" he quoted looking amused. "Thanks, Sherry – if it helps much, _someone_ told me that you and Jake are almost like Cupid and Psyche, wouldn't you agree?"

I didn't know how to respond to that. I didn't even get the chance to…

"Nanny Bear!" I jumped up and apologized to Piers before excusing myself as I ran to retrieve Mar.

I returned a moment later, allowing Mar to lead as we walked. He said he could use 'my light' to lead us out the darkness since I forgot the lantern with Piers. He succeeded and I was impressed - I figured 'my light' was one hell of a bright one.

"Hi Piers," Mar greeted him cheerfully. Piers smiled and saluted him, causing Mar to try it himself. It was cute to see. "Why are you here? Where's Helena?"

"She should be here soon." Piers answered.

Just then, I heard keys and then the front door opened. I saw Helena enter first and then Jake. Mar tugged on me, wanting to go greet his brother no doubt. I nodded to Piers and he picked up the lantern to lead us to them.

As we neared, I noticed Helena looked absolutely depressed. She'd been crying, I could tell by her puffy eyes. I offered to take her coat and she gave it to me, as well as her umbrella. Jake was behind her, in his hands were bags of something that smelled really good - Chinese food.

"Jake!" Mar hugged his leg, smiling joyfully. Then, he hugged Helena. "Hi, Babe!"

_Heh, so even Mar calls her Babe. Wonder what's the story with that nickname?_

"Hey little man." Jake greeted wearily, Helena just waved unenthusiastically to him.

"Helena..." Piers started, he looked solemn, calm. "We need to talk."

She nodded slowly. "I know... I'll tell you everything."

I put my hand on his shoulder smiling a bit, then turned to Jake and held out my hands. "I'll take those bags for you Jake - I could put them in the kitchen."

He shook his head. "I got it, Super girl." he gestured towards to kitchen. "Follow me, alright?" I nodded and he turned to Helena and Piers. "Let's go to the lounge - come on Marlowe."

Jake led the way and I stayed close beside him and Mar so they could see.

"Jeez," Jake said, setting the bags of food on the counter. "It's freezin' in here - and why ain't the lights on - is the power out?"

I fidgeted. "No, but with the storm I was concerned the power could go out and didn't want it to." In my peripheral vision, I saw Piers lead Helena into the lounge with the lantern in his hand. Before Helena entered, I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly. "I'm glad you're safe, Helena."

She patted my back twice but didn't say anything. I planted a small kiss to her cheek before releasing her. I reached for Piers hand and gave it a squeeze. He smiled, and then wrapped his arm around Helena to enter the lounge, closing it quietly behind them.

"They'll be fine," Jake told me. I turned in time to see him pull out a couple of cartons containing food and left a few more in a bag. Mar commented on how the food smelled good and I agreed as I came to the counter to whiff the scent once more. Jake shrugged with a small grin. "I thought so too. Mar, come with me - we're gonna go take this food to Mom and Rebecca."

"Okay!" Mar chimed.

Jake walked up to me and wrapped an arm around my waist - then whispered into my ear: "Meet me in your room. I'm gonna take this food upstairs and leave Mar with them so we can talk for a while."

I nodded and watched him go, Mar trailing behind him just by a bit.

* * *

Jake and I sat side by side on my full sized bed as we ate some sesame seed chicken and chicken fried rice. Our backs were cushioned by the many teddy bears and pillows along the headboard. The lights were off in my room, but Jake had lit a candle for us, it was nearby on my dresser.

I was curled up, facing him as I ate. He had on bent with his foot on the bed, his other rested over the edge flat on the floor.

"Are they really going to be alright?" I asked. He nodded and I hummed a bit. "What happened to Helena?"

Jake cleared his throat a bit. "I wish I could say but it's kinda her place to tell you, ya know?" he shrugged and sent me a penitent look.

I nodded. "I understand…" I noticed him scoot closer to me. "Are you cold?" I eyed his black sweatpants and matching t-shirt. "I could go get some blankets."

He shook his head. "Nah, I just wanna feel that skin of yours." he finished his food and placed the empty carton on my nightstand. "Finish up, Super girl so I can hold you."

I blushed and took a few more bites of my food. I was starting to feel a bit full but I only had two more to go so I finished off my carton. He took it and placed it beside his on the nightstand.

I gasped as he suddenly wrapped his arms around me. I felt his tongue lick all around my mouth, he pulled away, licking his lips at me. I felt that tingle again – that overwhelming need…

"Mmm," he hummed. "You're always tasty, baby girl." he gathered me close again and our lips met.

After our lips connected a third time, I pulled away slightly, pressing the bottom of my palm against his lips to stop his escalating ardor.

"Jake, we're supposed to talk, remember?" I purred.

I heard him groan. He pulled me into his lap as he scooted all the way onto the bed. He looked up at me with fire in his eyes. He wanted attention, I understood him – I was starting to feel achy too.

"Ask me whatever you like." he exhaled slowly.

I placed one of his hands on my thigh and the other I cradled against the side of my face. I held it there, placing a kiss on his palm. "Why don't you sleep in your old room?"

"Too many memories. Ones from happier times – before mom got sick. We all slept there at that time, but ever since she got sick, not even my dad sleeps back there."

I leaned down and kissed his lips softly, hoping to ease his pain. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," he smiled a bit. "She's not dead so it's not like it's an emotionally devastating memory. It's just not comfortable for me to sleep there like I used to."

I kissed him again, the hand that cradled my face came to rest along my back where my shirt had risen enough to expose my skin. Feeling his hand there sent an electric shock through me. I sighed softly, I liked the tingles he gave me whenever he touched me.

I tried to remember what the other thing was he promised to explain to me but I couldn't place it…

"Babe and me used to be in a gang," I gasped and sent him a surprised look. He sighed and rubbed circles on my back. "It was back when I was 14 and she was 15. It wasn't a** serious** gang like you're probably thinking but we did all kinds of shit, nothing good though. The only reason we got away with most of 'em was because of my dad."

He shook his head recalling things I supposed. "Those three you saw on Halloween were in the gang with us. Even though the gang disbanded years ago, they still do the petty crimes for fun, while most of the others that were involved with us just escalated. The ones who escalated are locked up now, most won't see the light of day for the rest of their lives."

"But those three ain't as dumb as the others – they just like thrills like I did, but now that I've got you, I'm over the thrill-seeking shit."

I blushed, flattered by that. "So… you're not involved with them anymore?"

"They want Babe and me to come back but we won't. It's no fun anymore – at least it ain't for me." he shifted a bit. "Listen baby girl, Babe and me – we gotta deal with the bad decisions we made but you gotta forgive us for not wanting you and lover boy involved. You and Piers got nothing to do with it, it's best it stays that way."

I nodded once. "I understand, but just to be sure I understand you clearly, you're telling me you're not involved in anything scary or dangerous now?" I needed to feel safe with him, otherwise I wasn't sure what I would feel like.

He chuckled. "Not anymore so you can relax. You're safe with me baby."

I smiled, thinking he was reading my mind again – well, since I was able to ask him anything, I wondered could I ask him about that. But first I needed something to think about.

I recalled Piers comparing us to Cupid and Psyche, I wondered how exactly did we fit that story…

"Psyche is the mind, body and spirit – she was a human until she was made immortal by Cupid." I gasped at him, he smirked. "Cupid of course is a God of love – or sex, depends on which version you read, well anyway he was sent to make Psyche fall in love with someone undesirable by the goddess of love but he fell in love with her and couldn't do it. I can't remember if he married or just banged her but he only visited her at night – asking her not to look at him. That scared her because she thought he may have been a monster, so she looked at him one day and realized he wasn't but that bothered the guy for some reason." he shrugged.

"They overcome distrust of each other, torture and all that jazz until eventually Cupid's able to make her his immortal bride."

"How exactly does that sound like us?" I asked amused by his way of telling the tale.

"Cupid wanted Psyche the moment he saw her. He would come to her at night asking her not to look at him, eventually she saw him and he flipped." he must have realized I wasn't following him. "I saw you as my dream girl from day one, Sherry. I tried to keep my dark secrets from you but you stumbled on 'em anyway – I flipped and acted like a jerk to you because I had trust issues. Does that ring a bell now?"

"…Yeah, it definitely does." I was taken aback for a moment, and then I laughed. "I guess me getting caught in the storm, trying to look out for your mother would have been like torture for me?"

He smiled. "Interesting you say that cuz the goddess of love was Cupid's mom." we laughed. "Good thing my mom's not crazy thinking you tried to steal all the attention from her."

I froze. _Actually… she used to think that way. _Jake tilted his head. "She did?"

"I-It was around my first few weeks on the job." I stuttered. "Um, c-can we change the subject… the similarities are starting to scare me."

"Tch, yeah, no kiddin'."

We were silent for a while until he spoke again.

"By the way, it was me that told Piers we were like them." he stated as if he was pleased with himself.

I blinked before rolling my eyes, laying my head on his chest. "You're some _sex_ god, Jake?"

He wrapped his arms around me. "_Maybe_. We won't know until we find out." I giggled at his implications.

Another air of silence, this time I interrupted it.

It was now or never. "Jake, can you read my mind?"

He sighed and rubbed my back with one hand. "Yea, I can."

I froze entirely. Did he just admit it? "Yeah, I'm admitting it." he stated softly. "But here's the catch, I have to touch your skin to do it."

_Touch my skin? But where? _I tried to think, feel anywhere on my body that my skin was meeting his. I couldn't feel it, where was he touching my skin? His hands were wrapped around me, not touching any of my flesh.

"Your face is pressed against my chest, Sherry. It doesn't take much for me to read you if your skin and mine come in contact. That's also why you feel that shock and tingle whenever we touch. Our skin reacts to each other's."

I sat up, staring down at him with my eyes wide. It all made sense! Whenever he touched me, I felt a reaction in my body. So during that time he was –

"I was reading your mind." he finished. His eyes were unreadable and firmly on me. "Sometimes I just guess what you're thinking, but other times if I touch you, I just do." I looked down, I was feeling tingly but I couldn't tell where it was coming from. His hands weren't touching me, I wasn't touching his chest or anything.

He smirked then, a glint came to his eye. "Your thighs…" was all he said. I looked down and sure enough, the shorts I was wearing made my skin touch the left side of his lower abdomen where his shirt had risen up exposing his skin, but not by much at all.

I was speechless. He pulled me down against him again, to meet my eyes. He smiled and stroked my hair. "It's not intentional… I promise you. I hate for you to think I'm invading your thoughts but when I touch you I just feel this sensation I... It just happens – and it's only with you though. I've never had this with anyone else."

"Why… do I get those sensations from you?" I asked.

He hummed a bit. "I… I'm sorry, I really don't know. But, I get them too. If only you knew what your touch does to me."

"What?" I pleaded for him to answer.

"Multiple things, baby. Sometimes it calms me – it's cool and soothing. And then there are other times – times when your touch sends me into some sort of euphoria that I crave more and more. Then there's that other thing you do…" he trailed off.

I waited for him to finish but eventually I spoke up. "Jake, your touch _excites_ me." I whispered realizing he wasn't going to finish. I wrapped my arms around his neck, face flushed pink. "It lights me on **fire**."

"Amazing, ain't it? I can't help but wonder how life brought us together. How we managed to get this far without each other..."

"It's almost like we're…" I trailed off, wanting to know if he suspected the same thing I did.

"Yea, it's like we're fated to be together."

* * *

A/N: There's chapter 11! Okay so yep, all the secrets are coming out! Jake has to touch Sherry in order to read her mind. Helena and Piers have their problems that at first weren't evident but now they're coming to light.

I may dedicate a chapter solely through either Piers or Helena's POV just for some more insight into the pair. That means Sherry's POV will be eliminated for one chapter only. I'm not sure when that chapter may come but if you guys/girls would like to see it, feel free to let me know.

About the Cupid and Psyche thing – believe it or not, that was a weird ass discovery I made. It's a coincidence entirely. The tale just fit for them to a point I was like "….Okay, that's f-in weird!" But it bears no influence on the story I assure you so don't stress yourselves about it. Coincidences will happen...

***Note: Thanks to 61wisampa [my fellow CupidxPsyche lover XD] for clearing something up for me. Cupid wasn't sent to kill Psyche, just make her fall for someone ugly and failed because of his love arrow scraping him instead of her. It'd been a while since I read the tale of the two [a whole year actually] and I couldn't find an online version to go over so I've always read my old college notes and forgot that part entirely... Thanks again wisampa! [hugs] ***

Not sure if anyone caught onto Jake's statement yet but it's true he doesn't hold all the answers to Sherry's questions – not even his own. Someone else does. Someone _very_ difficult to decipher. [hint, hint]

Next chapter will provide insight for Sherry's glow and also some more of Jake's abilities. So it's gonna be an interesting read that's for sure.

Well see you guys/girls around! Feel free to ask any questions or voice any concerns.

Thanks for everything!

-Vio


	12. Roll With the Punches

Chapter 12:

Roll With the Punches

* * *

The next day, I woke up and realized Jake wasn't with me anymore. It broke my heart at first, until I read a small note he'd left to inform me that he'd be returning later but there was something he had to take care of.

Deciding I would worry about it later, I rose from my bed to head to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth, showered and dressed before starting breakfast. I fancied I would make some French toast and bacon for the day, and then I would go wake Mar and clean him up so he could eat.

I smiled, recalling his endless stories about how much he enjoyed spending time with Mrs. Stephanie before I tucked him in last night. He loved to read books to her, in fact - he loved showing off his smarts and amazing her with them. He was a little guy with an ego but it was cute on him.

When I returned to my room last night, Jake was still there insisting he was going to stay with me until I fell asleep. I wanted him to stay the whole night but he claimed that could only work on nights when his father wasn't home.

Jake wasn't sure how his father would react to us 'dating' and really I felt the same. I imagined he would be disgusted with the idea that his son was dating the hired help. Ms. Excella didn't have any qualms about us at all, but Mr. Wesker was different - he was controlled and distant. I feared his reaction - he may not mind me being around Jake, but that didn't mean he would be alright with us getting _close_.

In other words, our relationship was to remain a secret for the time being.

While this hurt me some, I knew it was for the best. Besides, I was supposed to be focusing on Mar's well-being too and the happier he became, it brought relief to my troubled thoughts.

I started up the stairs when I footsteps emerging from the library and narrow hall. I gave Mr. Wesker one of my friendliest smiles and he approached. He was wearing the usual all black attire and shades, in his arms was a white box decorated by a purple ribbon.

"Good morning, sir." I sang, playing with the sleeve of my sweater and maintaining a smile.

He acknowledged my presence with a simple nod, I moved aside to let him up the stairs past me but he presented the box to me.

I looked the box over tentatively as he gently handed it over to me. It was quite heavy, I was curious what was inside. "Um, am I to take this upstairs for Mar-"

"It is a gift for you." he intercepted nonchalantly. "Excella enjoys entertaining the idea of you being her very own doll, despite the authenticity that you live and breathe."

_Another gift from Ms. Excella? Wow... she's quite the giver. _Images of my Halloween costume made me curious of what she was giving me this time.

I watched as he climbed the stairs and made a start to follow him but he stopped me with his raised palm.

"Marlowe will be coming with me again, Miss Birkin. For today and most of tomorrow - we will return Wednesday evening so he will not be absent from his schooling on Thursday." he informed me.

I blinked, a bit curious but very hesitant to ask anything. I forced another smile onto my face. "More father and son time, sir?" I implied lightly.

"He is my son, Miss Birkin - you are not to question my motives for anything I do."

I flinched and backed down the stairs until I was standing on the floor. "I-I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to -"

"Put that gift away and prepare a plate for Marlowe." he instructed, continuing his ascension to the upper floor. "He will eat and then we shall make our departure shortly afterwards."

I was trembling, even after he left my sight. I walked on shaky legs as I went to my room. I sat the box on my bed and fingered the neatly wrapped bow around it. My thoughts were of how short patient Mr. Wesker had been. It was so unlike him - perhaps he was a bit cranky in the morning and just didn't want to be bothered. It wasn't often I saw him early - he usually showed himself around 9:00.

I glanced at my watch and noted it was 6:25, he was hours early.

I wondered where Mr. Wesker took Mar whenever they would go somewhere together. It wasn't my business, true – but I couldn't help but be curious. I remembered how we had caught the same plane upon my coming to Europe and it was just the two of them. I imagined it was a business related trip but what point would he have in taking Mar?

_Maybe Jake knows? I'll be sure to ask him_.

A short while later, Mar came into the kitchen and I fed him, cleaned him up and presented him to his father. I hugged him tightly, placed a kiss on his forehead and cheek before surrendering my little angel over. I was hurting inside to watch him go, but he was excited - explaining to me that he loved riding planes because he was high in the air and was flying.

He was a typical child, cute, naive, and happy. I loved his optimism. As long as Mar told me everything would be fine, I had nothing to worry about. He was a genius, he looked after my well-being just like Jake did and was always honest with me. So if he said things were going to be fine, I believed him.

Before they left, Mr. Wesker gave me another extraordinary paycheck that I tucked away in my savings along with the others.

I wished them both a safe journey.

With Mrs. Stephanie upstairs asleep, Rebecca not due for arrival for another few hours, Jake was missing and Mar now gone.

I felt lonely.

* * *

I awoke with a stir - something was tickling me.

I tried to fight this tickle off but it got aggressive. I smacked at it only to discover it was a hand. I giggled uncontrollably as more than one hand tickled me all over. I opened my eyes and discovered it was none other than Jake - a silly grin plastered on his handsome face.

"S-Stop J-Jake!" I choked out as I kicked and fought.

He finally stopped and let out a laugh. "Mornin' Supergirl, what you doing sleep? Where's the little guy?"

I hated to answer that, I was still quite upset about it - Mar and I were close, he was like my own child or something so whenever he was taken away now it just hurt. After he left with his father, I just lay down on my bed and drifted off to sleep, hoping to dull the heavy heart feelings.

With Jake and Mar gone it really bothered me.

_But I have Jake here now... I should feel a bit better._

Jake tilted his head a bit, observing me. My eyes turned into saucers when I realized my skin was tingling. He was touching me, which meant he heard everything I was thinking. Not that I minded, but I really needed to start paying attention to my skin from now on.

"He took him again, huh?" Jake looked to be thinking hard on this.

"Jake, what type of work does your father do?" I asked him softly.

"He works for the U.S government." he answered simply. He began stroking the skin around my hip - so that was where his hand was... My sweater must've risen up when he was tickling me.

"So... why does he need Mar?"

"Nothing to really worry about." he shrugged. "I go with him sometimes - mostly for the longer trips. It's nothing really, he just meets people, they talk - make arrangements for things and then we come home."

"Why did you stop going with him?" I sat up, allowing him to sit on the bed with me.

"I haven't stopped. I mean, that's how I get paid." he said casually. I sent him a curious look. "Yep, when I turned 18 I was finally old enough to get paid for my services. I go with him whenever he's got the big missions."

"H-How long are you gone... when you go I mean?" I felt miserable at the thought of it.

He stroked the side of my face for a moment before he leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry baby girl, I'm not going anywhere. I don't need any money right now so there's no need to worry."

"But how long do you leave for?" I pressed, desperately. I hated the idea of him leaving for weeks or months at a time - a year would destroy me.

He sighed. "Last time I left I was gone for only a few weeks... nothing too extreme though so don't worry too much." he pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead, cheek, and nose before pausing over my lips.

I blushed and leaned back on my bed so he could climb on top of me. When our lips met I melted, wrapping my arms around his neck allowing him to deepen the kiss. As his warm, wet tongue caressed mine, I felt myself calming some.

I wanted him to kiss away my worries.

"Mhmm, Sherry," he hummed. "I know what will cheer you up."

"What?" I almost whined because I missed the feel of his lips already.

"Let's go to dinner later - you know, have a little night out on the town. How does that sound, baby?"

I pressed my lips to his softly. "That sounds great, _baby_." It felt good to call him that.

He smirked and jumped up suddenly, startling me. "Alright then! First things first, put ya sweats and stuff on - we're going for a morning jog!"

* * *

I was so excited about Jake taking me out on a date, the first thing I did [after returning from our jog and later workout...] was send a text to Claire and Leon. Claire was so happy for me, she called just so she could squeal in my ear and when I told her she didn't have to babysit for the day she jokingly told me she was lonely so Steve would be stopping by the compensate for Mar [we all know what she had planned].

Leon on the other hand demanded I dress appropriately and implied the importance that a lady never offers her 'goods' on the first date. Ada later stole his phone and texted me telling me good luck and to ignore Leon's over protectiveness - she told me to just have fun and dress to kill.

Claire and Ada teaming up against Leon never failed to make me laugh.

I was very happy that Leon was going to be in London for a few more weeks. I'd already arranged to meet with him again before he had to leave. I was looking forward to it.

It was growing close to 18:00 when I stepped out of the shower. Jake told me not to worry about dinner for Mrs. Stephanie and Rebecca, he was leaving some money for them to get some food. In the meantime, I was supposed to get ready.

I was a nervous wreck as I raced to my room, naked - searching for something to wear. I had no idea what to wear on a date. I could have asked Claire but I couldn't at the time - she was at work now, a late night breakfast party and she had invited Steve to go with her.

My towel dropped to the floor as I shut my door, rubbing some strawberry scented lotion on and spraying myself with a body mist of the same aroma. When I moved to try searching my wardrobe once again, I tripped over the gift box I was given.

Then it hit me.

Ms. Excella was really good with making me look sexy - she knew what fit me better than I did.

Could it be I got lucky and she sent me something I could appeal to Jake in once more?

I tore off the ribbon and opened the box. I saw two pairs of black heels, one was almost like an ankle boot with a high heel and a buckle around the top, and they were suede. The other pair was simple with pointed toes, they were sexy stilettos.

Then I saw a few pairs of lingerie dresses and undergarments [which I skipped over for the time being], some newly packaged tights [fishnet and the other was sheer], three sets of garter belts and thongs [this time there was a white set, the other two were black with one containing some red laces] and finally I reached exactly what I was looking for.

Evening dresses.

_Thank you Ms. Excella! You're awesome!_

There were three. One was a very short and simple black dress that was fitted around the torso but had two layers of ruffle skirt at the bottom - it was a halter dress. The second was also not very lengthy, it was a sequent green with a split down the torso and other colorful designs of blue, purple and black. It was also a halter dress with strings that were black.

The last dress made me swoon, I simply had to wear it - it was the sexiest of the three.

Tight, short [very short], sleeveless and black with a split down the middle, stopping a few inches above the belly button. In the back, there was a strap made of the same material as the dress down the center of my back - along my spine with three more straps protruding from each side to meet the front of the dress. It stopped two inches beneath my buttocks in the back.

I liked how my breasts looked in it, they looked '_bouncy_' and perkier - then again, it could be from my lack of a bra... I also loved how long my legs looked and how it fit my curves.

All the kinky outfits I'd been wearing recently had really gotten me to enjoy them. I felt almost feverish at the idea of Jake liking it. I hoped he did.

I decided to put on the sheer tights Ms. Excella had packed in the box [I feared I would look like a whore with those fishnets...]. At the last second, I felt bashful again and decided I would put on a light blue cardigan sweater about the same length of the dress. I laid it on my bed while I finished getting ready.

I did my own hair and makeup this time around instead of bothering Claire. I went with simple eye shadow and mascara and a little lip gloss. As for my hair, I combed my bangs down either side of my forehead and the rest of my hair was normal.

Just as I slipped on the suede boots, I heard the lounge door open. My heart began to race. In that instance I dropped my phone. Cursing, I bent over to pick it up when Jake knocked on the door.

"Hey baby girl, you ready?" he asked jovially.

I bumped my head on the bed frame then. "Ow... um - Just a second!" I called, rubbing where the ache was. It wasn't too bad of a bump but it still made me cringe – still the pain didn't last long at all before I recovered.

"You okay?" he sounded concerned.

"I'm fine, I'm just looking for my phone is all." I replied, finally grasping it.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure!" I chirped, standing up and straightening out my dress. I was praying he would like it. I considered putting the sweater on then but when I turned to my bed once again, my stomach turned to knots.

The box full of girly surprises and lingerie was on my bed - its contents scattered all over the bed.

And Jake was coming in.

I sprang into action, tossing everything inside the box. Jake opened the door as I was forcing all the items into the box. I glanced at him sideways for only a second - his eyes had widened. Had he seen something? Oh God I would die of embarrassment. I dropped the box onto the floor, pushing it into the corner of my room and turning to him.

My face was burning from shame of what he'd seen.

Then I realized his eyes weren't on the box - they were solely on me.

I took that moment to scan him over. He looked so good. He was clad in all black, a button down dress shirt [the top three buttons weren't fastened so I got a delicious view of his chest and his sleeves were rolled up as usual], jeans, and dress shoes. He wore a chain around his neck and had another expensive watch on his right wrist.

He smelled so damn good.

"J-Jake..." I almost purred but I stopped myself. "You look great." I wanted to run my hands all over his muscular chest through that shirt of his. _I wanna rip that damned shirt off and just do something reckless!_

He came closer and his eyes were hard, piercing through me. Was he angry? I felt his fingers run along my back where my skin was exposed. I was burning again as I took in some air. I saw him studying me, his eyes traveled over every inch of my body, particularly my chest area.

"Wow..." he breathed, "You look so damn _sexy_." he drawled out with that deep husky tone I was so taken with. He pulled me close to him, our bodies collided and I couldn't stop myself from moaning just a bit when we met. "Mhmm, you know I have no problem saying to hell with this date and just ripping that off of you to run my tongue over every inch of your pretty glowing skin – but..." he kissed my cheek softly. "You're uh... much more to me than that..."

I giggled at his awkward tenderness. "I know that no matter what you'll be good to me, Jake." I cooed into his ear. He was really turning me on. I wrapped my arms around his middle and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you like the dress." I added shyly.

"I'd like it even better if it were on the floor - where it wouldn't interfere with my need to touch you." he growled into my ear, it came from deep in his throat. He was fighting back that monster in him that wanted to claim me.

I wished he wouldn't fight it.

"I wish I didn't have to fight it either." I blushed, I had forgot he was able to read minds... "But I have to baby - you deserve more than just a quick fuck and then it's done. No - you deserve everything."

I backed away from him slowly, his hands didn't chase me - he just stood there, stiff as a statue. It was quite scary that he could do that - if it weren't for his breathing, I would think he was an actual statue. I watched as his eyes were glazed over with what I was sure was need. I felt the same but he promised me dinner.

If things went well tonight, I would be sure to give him whatever he liked.

He groaned as his hand came up to wipe at his face. "Damn, I'm sorry but you look so _tasty_ baby girl." he grumbled.

I fidgeted. "Should I change?"

"Hell no." he almost snapped, I jumped a bit and he cleared his throat. "Sorry it's just - you look amazing. You always do but there's something about that dress on you that makes you look so shy yet inviting - you look willing and like you... need me to do things to you...but you're scared of what I am capable of."

I gasped, feeling so enticed by him. "I'm not. I really am willing..." I whispered.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Come on baby, let's go out for dinner." I nodded slowly, reaching for my cardigan and purse. "Sherry... you think you could be nice to me tonight?"

I sent him a smirk. "Sure, if you behave yourself."

"Anything for you baby girl."

* * *

The restaurant Jake took me to was very fancy with a beautiful view of London Bridge at night. The weather was calm for the night, a chilly breeze came from time to time but it wasn't too cold for us to handle. We had a table outside [as per both of our request] and sat facing each other with a little candle light on our table. Jake asked for a bottle of champagne so that was also on the table along with two champagne flute glasses.

We both ordered steak dinners and as we Jake decided to start up some conversation.

"So, I noticed you keep looking over at the bridge." he chimed. I shot him a look. "Beautiful isn't it?"

I blushed and nodded. "Very - the night lights make this whole place just seem so beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it." he said, shifting in his chair.

I twiddled my fingers. "So, what's your favorite movie?" I asked curiously. I always seemed to catch him watching _Fast and the Furious _and wondered did he like it as much as I did.

He chuckled. "I like _Terminator_." I blinked and he laughed at me. "You thought I was gonna say that racing movie huh? Sorry baby, I don't like it."

My mouth went agape. "B-But you watch it so much! A-And I've seen you-"

"I used to race in competitions like those." he stated casually. I tilted my head waiting for an explanation. "Those movies ain't got nothing on the real deal. I only watched 'em to make fun of it."

"Really?" I scoffed playfully. "This coming from an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan?"

I laughed heartily when he glared at me. "He was the guy back in the day and you know it." He snorted. "By the way, is that fake ass racing movie really your favorite?"

I pouted. "It's one of them. I also like _Fight Club _and I'm a pretty big fan of the _Rocky_ movies."

"Sylvester Stallone fan eh?" I nodded to him. "Heh, you like movies about shit I do on a daily basis - uh I mean, I used to." he corrected once I frowned at him.

"Yeah, I never had a lot of excitement in my life - you're definitely full of surprises that's for sure." I reached across the table and placed my hand on top of his. "I'm really glad I've met you, Jake."

"You're so cute baby girl." I pinched his hand and he just laughed at me.

The rest of dinner went perfect. Jake and I talked the entire time about everything that came to mind. Though I didn't approve of him disrespecting my taste in movies, I did enjoy his sense of humor - it was crude but he managed to make me laugh anyway.

I learned quite a bit about him. Jake was a very active guy in just about everything - because of his restlessness. He didn't like to be bored so he was very quick to look for new hobbies. Throughout the seasons he would find different things to do to keep him entertained. I learned that he knew how to ski, enjoyed hiking, he liked camping [in 'spooky' areas - the weirdo], and he had a bit of wanderlust so that was one of the reasons he still stuck with his father.

Apparently Mr. Wesker had wanderlust too. The family had at least five different homes around the world. Two in the U.S, one in Finland, another in Moscow, Russia - and the last of course was here in London.

I loved listening to his stories. He told me about times when he and Helena got in trouble with the law when they were younger, he talked about how his mom would read him literature from all around the world – his favorite tale was _Arabian Nights_ or _One Thousand and One Nights_. I even learned that he was homeschooled by a lady named Ingrid Hunnigan until he turned 18. He had to be homeschooled because the family traveled so much and registering at schools was pointless for that reason.

Hearing that, I began to wonder if I would end up homeschooling Mar until he turned 18.

Jake and I walked beside each other, my arm locked around his as we made our way to his car. When he opened the door for me, I wrapped my arms around his middle and looked up at him.

"Jake, you said I enjoyed watching movies about _shit_ you used to do on a daily basis." I recalled. "Does that mean you used to street race?"

He chuckled. "Yep, I drove motorcycles, trucks, cars - you name it. I used to own a few sweet ass rides that I customized myself but I sold 'em a year back."

I bit my lip. "You sold all of them?" I asked slowly. _I wish I could have seen them..._

He considered me for a moment before ushering me gently into the car. "Come on babe, it's starting to rain and I ain't got no umbrella - don't see you with one either."

I felt drops of rain on my head so I listened to him. He shut the door once I got in and came around to get in the driver's seat. Once he started up the car, I sighed blissfully feeling the heat come on warming me. It had gotten pretty cold out, probably because of the rain now.

I heard Jake sigh and I looked over to him. He was eyeing me, his eyes traveled from my legs all the way up to my face.

"Heh, now that I think about it... I did keep one ride."

I smiled. "Can... can I see it?"

He nodded, a smirk on his handsome face. I squealed happily but that quickly turned into a glare when he patted his lap. I knew damn well what he was implying. He laughed. "Just kiddin' baby, I'll take you to see it - on one condition..."

"What?"

"I want you to ride it with me."

* * *

"J-Jake... I can't, I'm wearing a dress." I protested meekly, fiddling with the bottom of said clothing. He ignored me and tossed a helmet in my direction - I caught it awkwardly. I tried again. "Jake-"

"Live a little, Supergirl." He said simply.

He drove me to the ever familiar city we'd been in before when he did his fight. I recognized it the moment we passed the bay where we all gathered and waited for Steve's limo to take us home.

Jake went a little bit farther into the old, crumbling town. I saw as we passed through the city that there were quite a few criminal acts taking place - even with numerous witnesses around. I noticed prostitutes, drug dealers, and I could even see corrupt cops in the area. It was quite sad to look at.

Finally, we arrived at a large bolted gate that surrounded an open field and what looked like a warehouse. Jake opened the gate and then pulled into the building through a shutter door around the back. Once we entered, I confirmed it was a warehouse, with a lot of kickass cars, trucks and motorcycles. A lot of them were just amazing to look at - and there were so many!

Apparently, he and Steve used to collect these vehicles but now they were just interested in selling them. The ones I saw were owned by Steve but Jake lead me a bit further to the last ride he owned.

It was a motorcycle.

"I just couldn't sell this one," he said. "It was my very first bike – it's hard to let it go."

It was one hell of a bike that was for sure. It was a big motorcycle, the tires seemed to make it stand tall. It was red and black, with designs of fire and lightning all over it. When he started the bike up, it roared to life and the lightning on it lit up while the flames seemed to dance. There were lights along the rims that changed whenever the lightning and fire did.

"I'm glad you kept it. It's beautiful." I sang with a blush on my face.

Jake had changed his dress shoes, swapping them for a pair of boots in the trunk of his car, and then he retrieved a two leather jackets from the trunk as well, wrapping one around me [it was much too big] and putting on the other. Lastly, he strapped a helmet on my head and then he put his on.

And now he was waiting for me, one foot planted firmly on the ground, balancing the motorcycle, patiently anticipating my joining him.

I was nervous.

He sighed and held his arms out to me. "Come on baby girl, I'll take care of you - I promise."

I inhaled sharply and demanded my nerves cease their insistent quivering. I allowed him to help me onto the bike and held him tightly around his middle. _Dear heavens please let him be a sane -_

We sped out of there so fast I didn't get a chance to scream...

* * *

Jake circled the area a few times and after that I became more comfortable. It was very fun! I finally understood why Claire was so fond of motorcycles - the ride gave me a sensation as if I were flying.

"Jake, could we ride to somewhere else?" I asked over the sound of the engine and wind whistling as we rode.

"Sure! I'll show you where we used to race!" he replied. He took a detour around another building and started on the streets.

"What made you stop racing?" I asked.

"Got bored of it." he said eyes locked firmly on the road ahead. "The fast life's fun and all but after a while I just wanted to do somethin' else."

"Did Helena race with you?"

"Nah, Babe only showed up for the shows but she never raced."

I was leading to this line of questioning for a reason. I really wanted to know why Jake called her 'Babe'. I knew I had no reason to be jealous but that didn't mean I still wasn't... just a pinch. Jake had a nice amount of nicknames for me - there was Supergirl, Sweet girl, Baby girl, and the one I liked because it was a guilty pleasure of mine, Naughty girl.

But he was consistent with calling Helena, 'Babe'. I was curious as to why...

"Jake, why do you call Helena, _Babe_?" I spoke timidly.

He was quiet then, he made a left turn into a vacant parking lot and sped through it. "Why? You jealous, Supergirl?" he teased.

"Oh shut it!" I retorted embarrassed. "You can't tell me why?"

"When I first met her, we were at a family gathering - mom's side of the family cuz I ain't got no idea about my dad's. Anyway, my mom told me she was a distant cousin and wanted me to go meet her and make friends."

"So, you two are related?" I verified, he nodded in response. _So that explains why they act like siblings - they met young and are related to each other. _

"Well, I can only fill in blanks for you because there are some personal bits in here that I can't explain," Jake finished. "But Helena would baby sit me sometimes if Hunnigan was off and my parents were too busy. We always watched this movie about a little pig. I know he was on a farm at first then there were some sequels and shit but I didn't care too much for 'em."

"I used to joke about how Helena looked like the pig. It was funny as hell to see her get so heated and try to choke slam me. Eventually I started calling her the pigs name so much she just said fuck it and got used to it."

"You were calling her 'pig'?" I asked puzzled.

"Nope, the pig's name in the movie was _Babe_. That's why I call her Babe." He laughed and soon I did too.

"How could you?!" I giggled. "Helena's nothing like a pig!"

"Yeah, I know - but it's still funny as hell!"

Sometime later, I could make out an old rail yard ahead of us. Jake pulled onto the dirt road and I observed the place as we cruised through it at a moderate speed.

It was dark but thanks to the lights from the bike, we were able to see some. There were old box cars sitting on crisscross tracks, separate from their freight cars. Many of these were flipped over or had graffiti writing on them. The stench in the air was of oil, rust and maybe charcoal.

From the rail yard, I could see the city below - I hadn't noticed we'd ascended above it. There was a forest around the city, Jake must have taken a short cut because I never saw any trees on our way. I felt a scared, we were out in the middle of nowhere almost with no one around - if anything happened, there was no way we could get help. I had no signal on my cell and I highly doubted there were any working payphones.

Jake pulled to a stop at an edge where we could gaze down at the dark, crumbling city. I wondered how there were even people possibly living in this place. The last time I was here the place looked dangerous of course - but now that I'd seen more of it, I realized there was so much about it that was ... desolated.

_Like a city abandoned by not just the people, but the earth itself._

"This town used to be full of life with both industrial and agricultural work." Jake spoke gravely. "All the factories and warehouses you've seen are symbols of a city that worked for a living. Apartments so close to the job they may as well had lived there. Just past this area is a large open field with forgotten farmhouses - where farmer's and animals were abundant. The farmers provided animal meat for the townspeople, and fruits and stuff..."

"But now all that's left is debris, darkness, and secrets. These buildings that still stand are just remnants of a society thrown away not too long ago. As for the farms, the crops are dead, the farmers are gone and the stench of dead animals and waste is enough to make your nose try to fall off." he sighed. "Just goes to show what can happen to life in the blink of an eye."

"What happened?" I asked disturbed by it all. I climbed off the bike to stand beside him as he spoke.

"My mom told me it happened nearly 19 or 18 years ago. Apparently, the transporting of goods turned into illegal drug trafficking - from God knows where. Word has it that people went crazy from something they got exposed to. The factories were closed down first, and then the farmers were attacked - blamed for it all. They claimed it was some mad cow disease shit but there was no proof. The people went apeshit and desperate for means of food and money - most resorted to drugs and crime. As a result, employment rates fell drastically and thereafter, the city went piss broke."

"Why didn't the civilians just leave?" I questioned.

"Government wouldn't let them. They sealed the city off entirely - afraid of something getting out. Most believe that the fed's created some powerful weapon of mass destruction - you know, bio-weaponry shit and tested it on the people here. The side effects probably were so bad they were too afraid to risk it getting around the world. So the people and the city were locked away for years. Thus, the city of Spencer was no more."

_Spencer - why is that name so familiar? _I looked around, shivering. "S-So, where did the people go? I-I mean we're here now... couldn't they just -"

"Relax baby girl - you're safe with me." he smiled and wrapped an arm around me.

"But Jake, what if whatever they were exposed to is still around here? What if we -"

"Let me finish, Sherry." Jake intercepted with a chime, holding up his hand to quiet me. "Around the time Babe and I started our 'life of crime' business, the city had finally been reopened for tourism after like 13 years of being condemned. Tourists came here all the time for the first few years but then when a folk tale emerged about a mansion in the forests around here harboring the townspeople - people freaked and never came back. Now the only people you see are criminals and people like me looking for a place to do bad shit and not get caught."

"I thought that 'used' to be you." I teased.

He huffed. "You know what I meant." he paused. "Hard to believe people really freak out at the idea of people turning into monsters." he shook his head. "Why not do something about it? Why not ask questions?"

"Is that tale true?" I asked nervously.

He shrugged. "I don't know - I mean, it's weird as hell that the whole forest is blocked off, and I did hear from my mom that the old leader of this city did have a mansion deep in the mountains over that way." he pointed to a very dark mountain area. All I could see were more trees because of the darkness. "But I guess it all depends on perspective. I've lived a hard life, seen the crazy side of people and I've gotten to the point I don't believe in monsters - just people - sick, crazy ass people."

"Have people ever gone to the mansion - I mean, is there a way to?" I asked scared but curious.

"Through this rail yard, opposite of the farmlands. The farm is still open for access because of the isolated street way but through the tunnel there, there's a detour to mountains." he gestured behind us. "It's completely sealed off by concrete and stamped with condemned signs."

"So that's why when we came here I didn't see any trees." I confirmed. "Because the forest is sealed off..."

He nodded. "Yea," his gaze traveled to the mountains and so did mine. "It's fucking creepy ain't it?"

"Yeah..." I shivered, wrapping my arms around him. I glanced over to the dark tunnel that was completely void of light, the tracks led a straight line to it, disappearing into the abyss.

"When you live a life like mine, zombies and monsters don't seem real at all. The whole idea of monsters and shit is just so unlikely." Jake said. "But I wouldn't put it past the government ya know? They like to cover shit up all the time."

"You've never tried to go see anything have you?" I prayed he didn't.

"I would have to believe it to do that." he replied with a shrug. "I don't believe it."

"I understand." I said. "Can we go? I'm not very comfortable here." I pleaded.

"Sure." he helped me climb back onto the motorcycle and we made our way in the direction of the farmlands.

I glanced back once and felt my body shiver more than usual. I wasn't too cold, so what was with the overwhelming chill suddenly? It was as if there was something truly wrong with this city. The darkness wasn't natural - especially not with the moon shining so brightly in the sky and it was too quiet, not a cricket to be heard and animals were absent entirely.

A town void of life and forever trapped in darkness.

* * *

When we reached the farmland, I was shocked to see a pretty fair amount of people and custom cars hovering before a narrow street. It stretched far beyond my vision and was bordered by open fields on both sides. I saw a crumbling farmhouse in the distance but the road seemed to pass that up as well.

I protested against Jake approaching the group at first until I made out a very familiar face.

Brown hair pulled into a pony-tail, olive skin and that voice was hard to miss.

It was Sheva!

"Holy shit!" I heard someone say as Jake stopped the bike and we both got off it. "Is that Jay?!"

"Looks like you've got more fans, _Jay_." I cooed with a grin.

He smirked as we closed in on them, most of them racing towards us, including Sheva. "What can I say? I'm amazing."

Jake was bombarded with questions by the many people while I was tackled into a hug by Sheva.

"Sher!" she sang.

"Shev!" I mimicked. "Oh my gosh I missed you!"

"I missed you too! Sorry I haven't called recently, Carlos and I have been pretty busy." she laughed and then pulled away, eyeing my outfit. "Wow, talk about sexy. You look good girly!"

I blushed, sitting the helmet Jake gave me on the seat of the bike. "Thanks," I observed her fitted skinny jeans, tall boots and leather jacket. "You look great too. How have you been?"

"Great, I've got some wicked awesome things to tell you. By the way, what's with you and Jay?" I flinched. "You two dating? What happened to you and your boss's son?"

Jake cut in just in time. "Thundercat..." he acknowledged. Wow, he had a nickname for everyone. Piers was Loverboy [or Jarhead, depends on the day...], Claire was Firehead, Helena was Babe, Leon was Hero, Mar was little guy and I had too many nicknames...

Sheva grinned. "Hello Jay, you better be good to my Sherry. She's precious you know!"

Jake smirked and then the crowd around us got wild. I noticed Carlos emerge from the small mass and pat Jake's shoulder a few times. He greeted the both of us.

"You here to race, Jay? Cuz that sweet ass ride of yours is always a show stopper for to these guys." Carlos said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

Jake sent me a look, his brow raised as if asking for my approval. I sighed and gave him the 'you better be careful Jake Muller-Wesker' look. "Go on, _Jay_." I nodded with a smile.

The group followed Jake and Carlos, I just noticed there were many more people than I thought, some had been waiting in their hot rides for challenges. There were a few girls standing around scantily clad and holding up torches to light up the dark area. I started to fall behind Sheva - feeling shy from the new faces I was seeing but she took my hand and pulled me beside her.

She was such a caring and protective person, a great friend to me. I felt guilty I hadn't shared anything with her. I hoped to ask Jake for permission once he raced and [he better] came back to me unharmed.

Jake was going to race against a few more people. They all had motorcycles of impressive designs but I liked Jake's the most. Before he the race started, Jake signaled me over with his index finger. I blushed and walked over to him – I heard men whistling as I did.

He was sitting casually on his bike, a smirk stamped on his handsome face. He handed me my helmet and I leaned over slightly [but not too much so my dress didn't ride up] so he could whisper into my ear. "Hey sweet girl, you mind givin' me a kiss for good luck?"

I flushed but felt a rush of pride knowing that while the girls in the area wanted him, he was all mine. "My pleasure," I cooed as I was pulled closer. My face grew hot when our lips met – People were cheering and whistling, I wasn't sure what to think, it definitely wasn't something I was used to.

Jake's hands encased my face when we pulled apart. He chuckled softly, I imagined I looked like a cherry in the face… "You really do sweet girl, you look just like a cherry." I bit my lip, and then shook my head feeling a bit bashful. "But thanks for that," he whispered. "You're awesome, baby."

I giggled a bit. "My pleasure, _Master_." It felt good to actually give _him_ a nickname. I chose '_Master_' because he told me he would be my master if I would belong to him. He was all mine and I was all his.

His next move caught me off guard completely. One of his hands came around to smack me firmly on the ass. I squeaked at the contact – not because it hurt, but because I liked it, I mean I _really_ liked it…

_Do it again!_

Jake laughed heartily and then started up his bike. "Let's do this shit!" he shouted wildly, putting on his helmet. Everyone started to cheer and I felt hands come around my waist. I glanced over my shoulder to see it was Sheva.

"Good luck!" I beamed back to Jake.

He nodded to me. "Stick with Thundercat until I get back, alright?" I nodded and blew him a kiss.

Sheva stood beside me as a woman wearing a very tight leather body suit came out in front of the racers. I crossed my fingers as tightly as I could as she pulled out some sort of gun, it looked almost like a 9mm pistol [I watched a lot of violent movies…].

Once a round sounded off, the racers took off and the sound of burning rubber echoed throughout the area. I cheered, keeping my fingers crossed as Sheva bounced up and down beside me.

"Where do they go?" I asked her. "I mean, how far down?"

"There's a finish line a little more than 19 kilometers [12 miles] down." she replied. "There's a group down there that confirms the winners and such, and then they all come back and we learn the winner."

I hugged myself. "In other words, we've got a while before they return…"

She nodded. "It's okay, Carlos and I won't let anything happen to you Sher."

I smiled. "Thanks but that's the last of my concerns – I'm hoping Jak – _Jay_ comes back safely." I caught myself very quickly.

She tilted her head at me and leaned in towards me. "You know his real name?" she whispered.

"W-What? No!" I responded hurriedly but still in a hushed tone.

She frowned a bit. "Sherry, I already know his real name, he's told us – you being his girlfriend, I'm sure you know it too."

I bit my lip. "I-I… yes, I do know it…"

"His name is Jake Muller-Wesker." she whispered. "You know that of course."

I nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry – I just wasn't sure if you knew it or not and I was sure it was a secret."

She gave me a short nod. "I understand, don't sweat it." she led me away from the groups of people over to a small wooden bench.

As I sat beside her, I observed our surroundings again, the rail yard was some feet behind us but where we were was surrounded by dead wheat's and busted tires among other things. The crowd nearby was loud, bustling with conversations, rough housing amongst each other, and drinking beers as we all awaited the results of the winner.

"Sheva, I work for Jake." I admitted softly. She looked at me with wide golden cat eyes. "Sorry I didn't tell you before. This all seems like a secret life for Jake and I wasn't sure if he was comfortable with me saying anything. I'm the Nanny for his family and I figured he wanted me to keep it all in confidence."

I looked at her and noticed she had her head lowered and was facing her lap. "Please don't be angry, Shev – I never meant to upset you, I was just worried about –"

I stopped after I became aware she was breathing heavily. I wrapped my arms around her. "Sheva, are you alright?" I asked worriedly.

"I… I'm okay, I think. I just feel so tired." she replied with short breaths. "My stomach is bothering me…"

I hugged her tightly, stroking her back to give her some comfort. "Want me to go get Carlos?"

"No… No I don't want to trouble him." she said, shaking her head. "I wanted to tell you something…"

"But Sheva you –" my jaw dropped as she fell over into my arms, completely unresponsive. I screamed and started to shake her, my whole body trembling in fear of the worst. "_Sheva_!" I cried repeatedly.

In a frantic state of panic, I began shouting for help but no one seemed to hear me. I tried to stand, hoping I could carry her over to Carlos and the rest. I looked around desperately, I couldn't see him anywhere! I shouted for him, tears streaming down my face as I tried pulling Sheva with me off the bench. She was too heavy and I collapsed onto the dry wheat with her on top of me.

I struggled to roll her off and once I finally did I pulled her into my arms and began to try dragging her towards the crowd. They were blasting music from their cars and completely unresponsive to my despaired pleas for help. I dragged her a few feet from the bench before I tripped over a tire and fell again.

"Someone help!" I cried out pathetically for someone to show themselves. "Someone please – I need help!" _Jake where are you?! I need you!_

"Everythin' alright there, little lady?" I gasped and looked up to see a group of guys hovering around us. _Why didn't I notice them before_?

I got a bad feeling when I noticed the devilish glint to their eyes. I couldn't speak, I wasn't sure what to do – I was certain these guys were bad news but I needed help. They made my skin crawl, my eyes darted all over as I looked for anything to defend myself in case they tried anything.

"What's wrong? We just wanna help sweetheart. You ain't scared are you?" the same guy taunted me. He wore a big black jacket with a hoodie, I couldn't make out his features but his eyes glowed in the dark of his hood.

_Maybe they're actually here to help? Sheva needs help, if one of them goes to get Carlos I could stay with her until he arrived._

"M-My friend needs help, if one of you could please go get her boyfriend Carlos – she really needs help!" I pleaded.

He crouched down and observed her for a moment before looking at me. "Wow, she's really outta it."

"Yes, if you could please –"

"Yeah, I'm not doin' that." he stated coldly.

Suddenly his friends started to surround us, I grasped at Sheva's unconscious body and tried to pull her away from them only for one of them to grab me from behind and yank me to my feet.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" I shouted as I struggled against him.

"Shut up, bitch!" my captor spat and I gasped, suddenly overwhelmed with terror.

I was only one girl going up against five guys all by myself – my friend unconscious. I stood no chance on my own.

_Someone please help us!_

I felt a pang in my gut when I saw one of the men pick Sheva up and into his arms. He chuckled as he groped her unconscious body. I felt utterly disgusted and full of rage – what _piece of shit_ takes advantage of an unconscious woman?!

I started to scream and curse as I fought desperately to get away from the man holding my arms behind my back. "Leave her alone you cowards!" I shouted with a fury I never knew I was capable of.

The guy with the hoodie came up and laughed at me before I felt a sharp sting on the left side of my face. I saw stars for a moment when I realized I wasn't facing him anymore – he must have slapped or punched me. My left cheek burned, my jaw ached too but only for a brief second, and then the pain faded away – a cool sensation replaced it…

He removed his hood and stared at me with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape. "What the…?"

I was speechless, unsure of what was wrong. I looked over his shoulder and noticed the man carrying Sheva was staring at us. He looked confused – I didn't give a shit, as long as he let Sheva go.

"What's wrong, boss?"

"I shoulda knocked her teeth out – what's with this bitch?!" he responded, looking at me horrified. "Dude she just like… healed herself or something!"

The guy holding Sheva laughed. "Heh, yeah right boss – you just imagined it." I fought against the guy behind me, I was ready to kick all of the men between the legs and make a run for it with Sheva somehow. "Knock the bitch out already – I wanna have some fun."

"You let her go!" I yelled hysterically, picking up my feet and kicking at the guy before me.

He frowned and let out a roar. I shut my eyes tightly as I felt the impact of his fist to the right side of my face this time. I cried out in pain, before my vision turned black – but just as soon as it did, my eyes snapped open. I tasted blood in my mouth, my jaw ached tremendously, and it felt out of place.

I realized my tongue was bleeding from something sharp sticking into the side of it. I was sure it was a tooth – the throbbing ache crippled me from trying to feel around my mouth with my tongue and make sure. I let a tear escape from my left eye, the pain was unbearable.

"Looks like that did the – what the fuck?!"

I felt a sharp burn in my jaw and heard a crack as my jaw snapped back in place. I cried out and more tears escaped from my eyes. I could feel the teeth that were piercing through my tongue – they seemed to push out of it and signal my gag reflexes, I spit them out along with the pool of blood. There were five teeth knocked out of my mouth from where the power of his fist connected with my face. My tongue was cooling now but I cried out again – causing the guy behind to me to release me.

I crumbled to the dead wheat on the ground gasping for air at the agonizing pain that reestablished in my jaw. I felt five quick stabs push through my gums and then everything was cool. I felt no pain whatsoever.

_What just happened?_ I gasped for air now that everything in my body felt… normal. _Did I… Did I just heal myself?! _

"Dude what the fuck?! What are you?!" my assailant cried out mortified.

"Here boss, use this!" another guy came up and handed him a sharp object. _A knife?! Oh my God – they're going to kill me!_

I quickly rose to my feet as I backed away from him. He stalked closer to me, a dangerous look in his eyes as he neared. I pleaded with him to leave me be. I caught a glance of the guy leaving with Sheva thrown over his shoulder.

"N-No! Stop!" I cried out – immediately I noticed the guy with the knife make a move to jab me in the chest with it.

Everything was in slow motion. I closed my eyes and said a prayer as I waited for the pain to come. I was going to die from being stabbed to death. I was going to be murdered in a field – with people nearby but too wild to even notice. This was all happening because I tried to help my friend.

Was it worth it? Of course – Sheva would do the same for me… right?

_I'm sorry Mar, I'm so sorry I won't be able to watch you grow and keep you happy. _

_I'm sorry, Claire. Leon. Piers. Helena. _

_Jake… please forgive me. I… I think I love –_

I heard a loud crack, followed by an earth shattering cry of sheer agony. I peeked one of my eyes open and gasped, tears swelled in my eyes.

It was Jake.

With glowing red-orange eyes…

He hovered over my attacker who now was flat on the ground with his face down. Jake's fist was balled tightly as he glared down at the fallen man. The other guys looked on in horror at what just happened. I had no idea what Jake had done to him, but whatever it was – I wish I could have seen it.

"Boss! Oh shit –" one started but I blinked and Jake had flashed over to him and kicked him powerfully in the chest. Another crack sounded out as the guy flew through the air crashing into another, they both hit the ground with a loud thud and were unconscious.

In that second, another guy ran up behind Jake with a knife drawn. Before I could even shout out his name, Jake countered him.

"_Too slow_." I heard him growl before he elbowed him forcibly in the face. The guy did a back flip in the air before landing on the ground face first.

Jake fought with such power and speed, I knew he was surely not human. He devoured the group without effort, that savage glaze in his eyes remained as he attacked the man holding Sheva. I saw his fire-like eyes flash as he punched the man with a flurry of blurred fists, once he finished the man dropped Sheva and collapsed to the ground.

Jake picked her up and brought her over to me. I stared at him in a daze, I felt conflicted – I appreciated his help but his eyes scared me. I crouched down in front of me and held her out to me.

"J-Jake…" I whispered, tears falling.

"Sherry," he started, fiery eyes met my own. "Touch Sheva's skin, it should wake her up."

"What?" I asked breathlessly – I was confused and my throat felt dry.

"Hurry, before the others come over." I noticed they were approaching quickly.

I did as Jake instructed and touched Sheva's face with my index finger. A second passed and she began to stir. My eyes widened as her tired eyes met mine. I was speechless. Jake touched my hand gently and closed his eyes. I looked back and forth between the two people touching me.

Just as everyone arrived, Jake reopened his eyes – cerulean blue like normal.

_What is going on? _

I began to feel dizzy. Sheva sat up and groaned, saying something to me but my head was spinning and I couldn't register anything. I saw Jake stand up and heard him shouting ferociously at everyone before everything turned dark.

* * *

I peeked my eyes open slowly, the sound of a car engine made me stir awake. I groaned softly and stared up at what I was sure was the roof of a car. I was resting on leather in the backseat. My jacket had been removed and my blue cardigan was acting as a pillow for my head along with one of Jake's jackets. I sat up and rubbed my throbbing head, I felt like crap.

I realized I was in Jake's car, he was in the front seat driving the car – his eyes locked firmly on the road. I looked around, we weren't in Spencer anymore. We were on a freeway, most likely making our way home.

"Finally up, huh?" I blinked as I looked at him. He was smirking at me in the rear view mirror. "You okay baby?"

I nodded tiredly. "W-What happened?"

"You passed out, Carlos and Sheva let you ride in the car with them while they followed me on my bike back to the warehouse. I got the car and now we're on our way home."

"What about Sheva?" I asked worriedly. "Is she okay?"

He pulled off the freeway and stopped at a place where I could clearly see the London Bridge and water. I shifted a bit and Jake opened got out of the driver's seat to open the back door. He ushered me to scoot over and climbed into the backseat with me.

I barely had a moment to breathe before he was all over me, hugging and kissing me all over my face, avoiding my lips though. He uttered remorseful apologies over and over, holding me tightly. He apologized for coming so late, for everything.

I started to cry as the memories of what happened reemerged. I grasped onto him with everything I had, returning the kisses he gave me and offering my own apologies for getting myself in trouble.

"No… no you did nothing wrong baby." Jake protested, brushing my hair away from my face with his hands before encasing them around it. "It's my fault – I shouldn't have left you. I shouldn't have left you in such a fucked up place!" he fussed at himself before burying his face in my chest.

I sighed and held him there, just indulging myself in the feeling of security. I was safe with him. I knew he was capable of protecting me and would do so no matter what. I felt warmth spread through my body – he was everything to me.

"I'm sorry, Supergirl – don't worry, we're never going back to Spencer again. I promise you that. We're gonna stay here in London where you'll always be safe with me."

"Baby," I started and he looked up to me with a resolved look. "How did you find me?"

"Remember the glow thing we're always beating around the bush with?" I nodded. "That's how."

"Tell me about it, baby." I cooed sweetly but tiredly.

"You glow in the dark. I don't know why but you do. It doesn't have to be nighttime or anything, it just needs to be dark and you'll light up the area with that bright light of yours. Like the moon in the night sky."

"You and Mar are the only ones who tell me this." I mentioned quietly.

"My dad can see it too." I blinked at this. "It's because of what we are."

"What are you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jake scoffed. "We're different – we're advanced humans."

He moved away from me and sat upright on the seat. I did the same but I faced him with concern etched on my face. I wanted to hear more – I needed to. His eyes were focusing straight ahead, on nothing in particular and he let out a slow breath and lowered his head. I waited patiently for him to continue.

"I don't know much, but my dad's always said I was special – and now that Mar's around he's also in the category. I don't exactly know what we are, but we have perks that normal humans wish they had."

"Like what?" I asked.

He raised his head and rested it against the headrest. "Advanced strength and stamina – we're strong enough to destroy just about anything with our bare hands. I've even wrestled off bears in the woods before during my camping trips..."

"Wow…" I breathed. _So that's why he fights so tough._

"There's more," he continued. "We've got accelerated speed, our sense of smell and our hearing is similar to canines – there isn't much that can escape us. We also have above average intelligence and we're immune to viruses."

"Talk about superhuman." I said quietly, taking in all the information he was providing.

"Yeah, but there is a down side to this." I tilted my head to him. "Our sight isn't very good in the dark. To make up for it, we are able to enhance our sense of touch and be very tactile. We can feel anything in the vicinity once we do that."

"Is that why you… touch me so often?" I questioned meekly.

He glanced over at me finally and held out his hand to me, which I took without hesitation. "You're a bit more complicated than you can imagine, baby – you sure you wanna hear it – I mean, you ready?"

I contemplated his words. A short time ago I was a normal girl with family issues. I lived an average but lonely life as I tried to make more of myself every day – but ever since I came to the Wesker home, I … changed. I met people that helped me to find strength and I learned that there was a fighter inside me.

I wasn't afraid of much anymore.

The feeling was there, I just knew I was different like he was… And I wasn't scared to embrace it.

"I'm more than ready." I confirmed.

He nodded and gave me a small ghost of a smile. "I don't know much about you – but you're different just like me. Your glow in particular…" He massaged the back of my hand with his thumb. "It's significant to us because of our vision."

"Everything about you caters to my senses." he said. "Your smell is soft – you use all those strawberry soaps and stuff but you smell more like lilac flowers either way to me. When our skin connects, that jolt that you feel is probably because of me but your skin does things to me too – but I told you that before."

"Yeah, but speaking of skin contact – why did you tell me to touch Sheva?" I asked. "Does this go along with you calling me 'Miss healing touch'?"

He nodded. "If your skin connects with someone else you heal them for some reason." I tensed up – unsure what to think. "I don't know why but I noticed it after I fought my dad. When you passed out, I was on the verge of passing out myself but you started to shine more and I got curious and touched your cheek… I felt cool all over and next thing I knew I was fine."

His hand came up to caress my cheek – I imagined it was the same one he touched that day… "You healed me…"

"H-How did you know it didn't just work on you?"

"Because after I uh changed you," I blushed at that. "Rebecca showed up and she mentioned to me how odd it was that Mar recovered from an allergy like he did. She told me it was almost like the time my mom had her panic attack. I started asking her questions and Mar came out of nowhere talking about this cool feeling he got when you touched his face and then Rebecca started talking about when you brought some wet towels for my mom but before you came in she was in really bad shape."

"She said in those two moments you entered my mom slowly recovered… So I got a quick question for you." I nodded. "You lived with Claire all those years before coming here right?" I nodded again. "When you lived with her did she ever get a cold or sick or something?"

I laughed. "Everyone does at some point."

"But has she gotten sick when you lived with her?"

"I… I don't know." I answered honestly. I couldn't really recall if she did or didn't.

"Okay then, what about that Leon guy?"

"I never lived with Leon, but he would catch a few colds from time to time." I said with a small smile. Leon hated being sick because it made him look 'terrible' – his own opinion. "Every time he did, I would stay at his place with him until he recovered."

Jake nodded. "How long did it take for him to get better?"

"Usually he was better by…" my eyes widened. "The next day…"

Jake smirked. "Mar and me aren't like normal humans. We need you to touch our skin to heal us. Maybe normal humans just need your presence to recover…"

I was taken aback. "B-But Sheva didn't recover even though I was in her presence." I stated, baffled by all of this.

Jake huffed and considered me for a moment. "She wasn't in any pain – she was just well – this is a hunch but I felt another presence with her, I think she's pregnant."

"_P-Pregnant_?!" I shrieked and jumped up – banging on my head on the car roof. "O-Ow…" I rubbed it for a brief second and then that familiar cooling sensation came.

Jake chuckled. "This is a wild guess but I'm thinking you never got a cold before or been sick and every time you get injured you heal yourself."

I bit my lip as the scenes from earlier flashed in my mind and I remembered being hit and attacked by the guys. I recalled the pain I felt when my attacker knocked my jaw out of place, how my teeth pierced through my tongue… And then I remembered the cool tingling in my mouth as I spit out my teeth and more pushed through my tender gums…

"What's wrong?"

I gasped, realizing I had begun to cry. Jake reached for me and I wiped the tears away from my face and then relaxed in his arms. "N-Nothing…"

Jake shot me a skeptical look and I winced when his eyes flashed with fire. "J-Jake please, I-I'm fine – but you're right, I can somehow regenerate." I told him. I didn't want to think about those guys anymore. They got what they deserved when Jake kicked their asses – dwelling on the event would help no one. "Tell me about Sheva – why did she awaken when I touched her face?"

He stared at me for a while before answering. "I told you to do that because when I picked her up I noticed she felt hot. I thought about your touch and thought maybe it could help some – apparently it did."

"And if she is in fact pregnant she could have passed out from a number of things." I thought aloud. "If she felt feverish, it could be from overheating – maybe she didn't get enough fluids… Jake, where is Sheva now?"

"She swore to high heaven that she was fine but I dunno." he stated with a shrug. "Carlos said he was gonna take her to urgent care."

"Jake please," I stroked the scar on his left cheek. "Take me to her – I need to know she's okay."

Jake groaned. "It's just a baby, how bad could it be?"

_You obviously haven't the slightest clue about babies now do you Jake? _I pinched him and he shot me a look. "Jake please, I just want to know if she's pregnant or not."

"I'm sure they will tell us tomorrow." Jake grumbled jokingly.

I almost hit him but his cell phone began to vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket and held up his index finger to silence me while he answered. I could hear a loud voice shouting hysterically on the other line.

"What?!" Jake exclaimed. I jumped a bit and looked at him fearfully. "By who?!"

_What's going on?! _My breath caught in my throat as a pang shot through my stomach.

* * *

Jake and I raced towards the hospital's A&E entrance and burst through the doors. The whole scene was hectic, there were doctors and nurses racing about speaking medical mumbo jumbo that I didn't really care to listen for. I looked around frantically for Sheva and once I saw her I raced over and hugged her.

Jake didn't tell me anything about the call, he only said we needed to get here and quick. I had no clue why but I panicked, assuming it was Sheva who had been in need. Seeing her fine threw me off a bit but I was relieved – if it wasn't her than who?

Sheva led Jake and me through the hordes and towards Carlos. I noticed he wasn't alone, David and Steve were also present. I thought Steve was with Claire at the late night breakfast – he must have come here after hearing the bad news just like we did.

Once we reached them, Jake spoke up. "Does she know?" he asked.

I looked back and forth between everyone. _Does who know? Who is hurt? _"Piers and her are on their way now." Steve answered, he was obviously beyond troubled.

"Damn… how did it happen?" Jake pressed.

David shrugged. "We don't know – we just got here."

Carlos cursed under his breath. "Sheva and me were just about to leave when emergency people came busting through the doors with her on the stretcher." he shook his head. "I knew it was her cuz she looks just like Helena."

"What?!" I gasped. "Helena's been-"

"No," Sheva said. "Not Helena… her sister, Deborah."

"Her sister…?" I echoed with wide eyes, I turned to Jake with a look of disbelief.

He frowned and glared at Carlos. "And you sure it was Debbie?"

Carlos and Sheva met eyes and nodded at once. "Positive." they chorused dreadfully. "We followed the personnel and started asking questions the moment we saw her," Sheva added. "They instructed us to stay away but we got aggressive. The moment I heard them say something about blood loss I felt sick…"

"There was so much blood man…" Carlos choked out.

Everyone looked devastated, heads hung low. In that very moment Helena and Piers showed themselves – distress etched all over their faces. I stood beside Jake as they approached.

"I-Is it her?" she grabbed Sheva and started to shake her. "Please tell me this is some fucked up joke!" she cried.

I gently stopped her from shaking Sheva – I didn't know too much about pregnant girls [if she was actually pregnant] but she didn't need that treatment. "H-Helena," I whimpered helplessly. "Please…"

She glared at me and I flinched. "Did you see her? Did any of you fucking see my sister go in there?!"

Jake grabbed her by the shoulders and ushered her away. "Come on, let's go see…" he turned back to me. "I'll be back, don't wonder off."

I nodded understanding him. I saw Piers was talking to a doctor while all of this was going on – his expression didn't look good at all. A familiar feeling of dread came to me as I watched Jake and Helena walk over.

Sheva and I both gasped when Piers pulled Helena into a hug and she slowly began to sink to the floor, screaming and crying. Jake lowered his head and returned to us with a dark cloud looming over him. My hands covered my mouth when he looked at all of us.

"It's her, ain't it?" Steve asked, his voice cracked as he spoke.

Jake nodded. "Yeah…"

Utter silence came to the group – the only sounds heard came from Helena some feet away crying and screaming her sister's name as Piers tried to calm her.

"Is she… dead?" Sheva asked.

Jake sighed. "The doctor says she was stabbed multiple times and had some internal bleeding but she could recover – they'll offer more information by the morning." everyone sighed in relief, I came over and wrapped my arms around Jake's middle – he put an arm around me in return. "The doctor said she's in stable condition right now, but she also suffered some serious trauma to her head…"

"Gods… someone beat the hell out of her." Sheva whispered sadly. "Could it have been Peter, her ex?"

Jake shrugged. "Might have been – this wouldn't be the first time. There's no tellin' though, but if he did he's done for. I'll take him out this time – I swear it."

"Let's not jump to conclusions." Steve intercepted. "We'll wait for Deborah to wake up and say something. I wonder where this all happened – at the house? Nah, Piers and Helena were there… so where then and how did the ambulance show up for her?"

"Maybe a witness saw what happened?" said Carlos. "We could ask around."

"Ask who though? We got no idea where or when it happened." David said crossing his arms over his chest.

A thought came to me – it was really time to put this theory of my healing abilities to the test. "Jake…" I whispered. "What if I…?"

He shook his head. "There's no way we could get in the room." he responded quietly. "But if we could then you could save her."

I glanced over at Helena and Piers, my heart ached just seeing them so full of despair. Helena always seemed so strong and controlled, seeing her crumbling and powerless hurt more than imaginable.

"It's worth a try." I said softly. "If it would help her-"

"The **fuck**?!" Jake roared suddenly.

I whirled around to see what had him so angry. I was almost floored. I recognized that goatee, steely gaze and wrinkled face instantly and it sent fear throughout my body.

_Mr. Simmons?! _

"J-Jake, why's he here-"

Mr. Simmons approached us, at his bidding were three men in black suits – government agents? Jake was growling behind me and I held him back as best as I could. I looked over and saw Helena – I hadn't noticed how heated she'd gotten. She was fighting fiercely against Piers to go after Mr. Simmons.

"You old bastard!" she barked viciously. "How dare you show your fucking face around me!"

"Helena – no, you can't!" Piers protested, holding her – it was obvious he was trying his best not to get rough with her because he kept grabbing her around her waist and hugging her.

Mr. Simmons frowned darkly at her and I took in some air seeing it. _That was one evil look…_ "Quiet _Helena_ – you're disturbing everyone here."

"Fuckin' –" I twirled around instantly to hold Jake, he was just as enraged as Helena. _But why – what on earth is going on?! _

"Jake, stop it!" I pleaded.

Mr. Simmons looked over and my blood ran cold when his eyes locked on me. "Ah, if it isn't the _Kitten_?"

_Oh shit… _I cried out as Jake tried to lunge at the man only to be stopped immediately by David and Carlos. I saw them only for a moment before my view was blocked by my heated boyfriend's chest.

"Jake, calm down please." I heard Sheva beg from beside me but Jake's chest was crushed against my face and all I could see was his shirt.

"Get back Sheva, your pregnant." Jake growled.

"H-How did you know-" _Heh, so she really is pregnant…_

"Simmons, why are you here?" Steve asked from _somewhere_… "What's with the suits? You here to raise hell – never mind, you do that either way."

"I'm here because I heard one of my _daughters_ was harmed."

_Daughter?! Mr. Simmons is Helena's father?! _

"We're not your goddamn daughters you sick fucker!" Helena spat. "You're scum of the earth!"

I pulled my head from Jake's chest to glance at Mr. Simmons again. He chuckled and shook his head. "So temperamental… Typical of you Helena, Deborah's always been the better child."

"You bastard!" she struggled against Piers once more but this time, he pinned her to the floor on her back with her wrists gathered in one of his hands and he had his other arm wrapped around both of her legs. He was a hell lot stronger than I imagined. "Let go of me!"

Piers frowned. "Your sister is in there wounded – the last thing she needs is to have her sister locked away for assaulting someone when she needs her most!" he shouted, his words must have gotten to her because she seemed to be calming slowly but surely.

Mr. Simmons scoffed. "At least someone has common sense." Jake almost said something but I quieted him with my finger – it was Piers' time to defend his woman.

Piers shot him a dark look. "I don't know who you are and frankly I don't give a damn – but if you call yourself a _father_ to these women then there's a certain degree of paternal concern I expect to see from you." he stated. "How about instead of taunting Helena – you ask how Deborah is doing and gather some information on your _daughter's_ condition like a _real_ father should?!"

The hospital was quiet, all the other staff and patients were watching this unfold like a TV show.

"Who even told that guy about Deborah?" Sheva whispered. "Carlos and I called Jake, David, Steve and Helena…"

"Weird… That's super fishy." I heard Steve say from God knows where. I could see only towards Simmons, Helena and Piers…

"He's behind you…" Jake whispered to me. I thanked him for the confirmation.

Mr. Simmons looked calm but I could tell he was angered by his fist balling up. "There's no need, I already know of her condition. The hospital called and told me everything." An agent behind him answered his cell phone and whispered some words before handing the phone to Mr. Simmons. I felt sickened by the grin that crept slowly onto his wrinkled face.

"He acts like this is a joke or something." David stated with a slight growl. "Show some fucking concern for your kid, motherfucker."

"Simmons doesn't give a shit about anything but himself. Lowdown dirt-bag creep." said Jake.

Mr. Simmons looked over at Jake and me again, a disgusting smile on his face. "Jake, your father wants you and _Miss Birkin_ to return home immediately."

"What?" we chorused - completely confused. "Nice try ass-wipe, but my dad's outta town." Jake added with a smirk.

Mr. Simmons raised a brow. "Oh? You act as if I cannot receive phone calls from Albert – we're good friends, remember?"

One of the agents behind him approached us with a cell phone in hand. It was a touch screen and I recognized the number dialed on it instantly. It was Mr. Wesker's number and it said it was on the second minute and counting. Jake and me glanced at each other before he took the phone and put it to his ear.

"Dad?" Jake's face became shocked instantly. "What the hell? Why?!" Jake was silent for minute at least, I could hear Mr. Wesker's voice on the other line but I couldn't make out the words – finally a beep was heard, the call must have ended.

Jake growled out a sigh and I gasped when he crushed the phone in his hand. The bits fell to the floor as he swiftly turned and made for the exit. "Sherry, come on we have to go."

"W-What? Why?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Just listen to me!" he shouted and I flinched under his tone.

_What on earth is going on? _I glanced back and forth at everyone as I followed behind Jake meekly.

"Piers – take care of Helena, call me if anything happens. Helena… let me know if they find the piece of shit that did this."

Helena held onto Piers full of misery and desperate for comfort. "I think I know who did it…" everyone waited for her to finish. "The only person who would do this is Peter."

I heard Sheva gasp before Jake grabbed my hand and started to tug me away. "Come on, baby girl – I gotta get you outta here." he said quietly.

We made it to the car and once we were inside I started to ask him what was going on but he silenced me. "Dad doesn't want you anywhere near Simmons." I wondered why but he beat me to the punch. "I don't know why, but he says it's quite serious. He says for us to head home and he'll be here tomorrow evening."

"Jake… I'm scared. What is going on?" I started shaking. "First Sheva passes out and we're almost killed and now Mr. Simmons shows up and Helena's sister is nearly killed too and your father doesn't want me near him, I –"

Jake reached over and put his arm around me, stopping my babbling. "Shh, you're always safe with me baby girl. I messed up earlier by leaving you alone but I swear it won't happen again. I'm gonna get you home and take good care of you."

"But what about Helena?" I asked, feeling a mix of exhaustion and fear.

"Loverboy won't let nothing happen to her – trust me." he started up the car and reached over to caress my cheek with his thumb. "I hate seeing her like that too – but I can't risk your safety. The good news is that she could recover – Debbie's always been a fighter – this ain't the first time Peter got hold of her and she lived."

"But Jake…"

"Shh… you're tired, I can tell. Listen, if Babe needs us she or the Loverboy will call. In the meantime, let me get you home. I'll run you a nice hot bath water and give you a massage – since our date night turned into a date from hell... How does that sound?"

I blushed. "That sounds pretty good..." I felt guilty for not being able to stay but what could I do? I felt beyond fatigued, a nice bath and massage sounded like heaven - it couldn't hurt to indulge, especially since Helena's sister was stabilized, there was a chance she would come out fine.

As we made our leave from the hospital, I felt like a storm was brewing. Something was fatally wrong – and my role in this was probably larger than I imagined…

* * *

A/N: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! *twiddles fingers* I got super busy… To make up for it I hope you like this super long chapter. The plot is really unfolding now because there's so much going on it's ridiculous.

So yeah, Sherry can still regenerate [her being locked away most of her life made safe from injuries and stuff so that's why she never noticed – it's also why she didn't realize her lack of illness throughout life.], the Wesker's are superhumans too, Sheva's pregnant, Simmons is somehow deeply involved with Helena and her sister, Deborah's been harmed by her boyfriend…? Maybe? The future will reveal a LOT.

Everything that was revealed in this chapter plays a key role in the future. Especially the Spencer city – yes, it's based on a certain old guy who's spooky tale will emerge again soon.

Sorry for lack of romance this chapter. And again, sorry about the damn wait. It won't happen again. :D

Please review, they are well appreciated! If you have any questions or concerns or notice any typos and such, be sure to let me okayz? I was anxious to post this cuz I'm so late with the update.

Thanks for all the support so far. I'll be sure to update again in the next few days – in the meantime, R&R and I'll see you soon!

-Vio


	13. Crossroads

[Warning: This chapter contains **mature content**]

* * *

Chapter 13:

Crossroads

* * *

A week passed since the incident that caused Helena's sister, Deborah to be hospitalized. It seemed as if things had just gotten worse and worse. At first she was in stable condition, but over the course of a week she somehow wound up going into a coma.

The doctors told us all that she suffered a severe seizure over her third night there. They informed us that this seizure could have been a result of the trauma to her head - but none of us could shake the overwhelming feeling that something wasn't right.

No one - not even the doctors could answer as to what caused her to seizure after slowly recovering. Even worse, we had no way of knowing whether she truly recovered or not before the seizure - the reason being because no one was allowed to see her.

Everyone had to view her from a large open window where they could see into her room and observe her on the bed. What could possibly be the reason for friends, family and other loved ones to not be able to get close to her? It baffled everyone.

Poor Helena suffered the most - understandable since she was her only sibling. She was adamant about staying at the hospital until her sister reawakened. Piers had a difficult time convincing her otherwise, but eventually he managed to compromise with her - they would visit her every day in the morning and before going to bed, the rest of the day they would spend trying to help the police find Peter.

Peter seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. Jake had taken it upon himself to help Helena and Piers find him. I wasn't allowed to help because of Jake's concerns over Mr. Simmons presence at the hospital. He didn't want to risk me coming in contact with him so I had no choice but to lie low at the house. I wasn't even able to drop or pick up Mar from school unless Jake was with me.

Despite their searches for Peter, it all proved futile. The police apparently had gotten hold to him, questioned him and then for some reason they released him all in the same night.

No one knew why the police had done this – they weren't talking to anyone. I started to believe that something more dangerous was in the midst, something bigger than we could have imagined.

* * *

I'd just finished washing dishes when I heard the front door open. Glancing over to Mar, I noticed he was obediently picking up the toys he'd been playing with in the living room area and coming towards me with them. It was Wednesday so Mar didn't have school and resorted to playing all day instead.

I accepted the toys from him and he raced for the front door - I followed him, knowing it was Jake entering and I wanted to greet him.

He'd gone out to help Helena and Piers with the search again. Judging from the grim look on his face, I knew the effort had been fruitless and the little amount of hope I had diminished. Another day had gone by and still nothing – apparently it was it too much to ask for some answers to at least a few questions.

I placed Mar's toys in the front closet as he hugged his big brother. The little sign of affection seemed to ease Jake a bit and I hoped there would be something I could do also to provide him some comfort.

"Hi..." I greeted him meekly as he sat Mar down to the floor.

"Hey Supergirl..." he responded softly, wrapping his arms around me. I held him there for a moment, wanting to wash away his troubles.

"_Ew_!" Mar exclaimed, scrunching up his face. "Adults getting all lovey dovey is so gross!" he stated.

I blushed and pulled away from Jake giggling. Jake laughed and ruffled his little brother's shiny blonde hair. "Say what you want little guy, you'll never understand 'til your older."

"It will still be gross even then." he retorted, Jake and I laughed again - it was nice to laugh after the week from hell everyone was enduring. "Can we go watch a movie in the living room?" he asked suddenly with big blue eyes of hope.

I smiled and nodded, holding out my hand to him. "Of course we can." I glanced to Jake and he gestured for me to lead the way.

As we started to walk, he came closer to whisper into my ear. "We'll worry about the sad stuff later, right now let's give him some time to have fun." I nodded after shivering from how close he was to my sensitive ear.

Mar sat on the couch as I went into the kitchen area and Jake searched for a movie on the living room TV's DVR. I opened the pantry closet and retrieved a box of extra buttery popcorn. I popped two into the microwave and then searched the pantry for the candy I had purchased the other day during my trip to the market.

I found two packs of Reese's candy and Kit Kat's. _Jackpot!_

"I gotta pee." I heard Mar say from the couch, a second later he had bolted for the bathroom. He sure could run for his tiny size - then again he was a super kid.

"Hey, Supergirl." Jake called to me.

"Yes, _baby_?" _I love calling him that!_

"Think you could grab us some drinks?"

I looked up at him as I sat the candy on the counter. The popcorn sounded loudly in the microwave as it popped. "Sure, but is there anything in particular you wanted?"

"I'll take a root beer. Might wanna give the little guy some water - he don't need any more sugar."

"Agreed." I said with a light giggle.

"You don't need any candy either, sweetheart. Remember - you're on a **diet**." he teased.

I groaned. "Oh _come on_, I haven't had anything sweet in three days..." I whined. "Can I just have a few chocolates? Please _baby_?"

He sent me a look over his shoulder and then turned back. "Eh, _nope_."

I sulked playfully. "You're so mean, Jake."

"Fine, you can have a few," I almost squealed with delight. "On one condition - you soak in the hot tub with me tonight."

I felt my cheeks grow hot. "O-Okay..."

He turned to me and smirked. "Tonight I'll put the little guy to bed and then you and I can spend some time in the basement - since Dad's not coming home tonight." he mumbled the last part.

I sighed blissfully. "I'm looking forward to it." I seriously couldn't wait.

The bathroom door opened and Mar came rushing out, hands wet from washing them and the belt on his jeans wasn't even fastened. I giggled at him and he blushed before fastening the belt and snatching a paper towel from the countertop to dry his hands.

"What is it? Did I forget to put towels in there?" I asked as I retrieved the popcorn bags and emptied them into three large bowls.

"No, I just wanted to help Jake pick a movie." he replied and flew over to his big brother.

"Let's see... We could watch The Lion King, 101 Dalmatians, Baby Geniuses, Stuart Little... there's a lot here." Jake said with his eyes locked on the TV.

"Hm..." Mar put a finger to his chin. "Tough decision - which one would you like to see Nanny Bear?"

I walked over with two bowls of popcorn and sat them on the table. "I haven't seen any of them so I'm not much help." I chucked lightly before going back to get the last bowl and the candy.

"Whoa, you haven't lived if you haven't seen The Lion King, Supergirl." Jake laughed and I frowned. _For Pete's sake I was locked away most of my life!_ "But considering your circumstances, I'll cut you a break."

"Thank you." I smiled and sat the remaining goodies on the table. "I'm gonna go get the drinks. Pick a movie already you two!"

They decided on The Lion King since it was apparently one of the greatest movies of all time. Jake and I sat on either side of Mar while he was comfortably in the middle as the movie came on. It felt like we were at the movies with how dark Jake had managed to make the house. He'd drawn the curtains and turned off every light - he even threw a blanket over me so my skin wouldn't '_glow_'. I was only able to reveal my face, which gathered some complaints from him from time to time but hell, it wasn't my fault - it was probably my DNA.

The movie was amazing. I could honestly see why they loved it so much. It was beautiful to see Simba grow and become king of the jungle. The whole story was fantastic and the songs were catchy and fun. I had a great time watching the movie with Mar and Jake - the former was cracking jokes relentlessly and Mar was really into the musical parts like I was.

_It's like I've established my own family with these two. _

I may not have had a strong bond with my real family, but I felt that family was not just linked to the people who shared my blood and genes. To me, family was tied to the ones who gave me those feelings of safety, love and happiness.

Family involved people who cared and loved me despite my flaws.

Claire and Leon would always be my _real_ parents, I couldn't help but feel that way for them - they adopted me [sort of], loved me unconditionally and supported me through everything.

With these two, I imagined Jake as my annoying but lovable husband and Marlowe as our little genius son. The bonds I shared with these two brought complete and utter joy to my once lonely life.

As I hugged Mar and sang with him and hit at Jake when he would pinch me when I wasn't looking, I realized I wouldn't change a thing about my life.

This was one of the best moments I'd ever had.

* * *

"Which hot tub you wanna get in?" Jake asked me. It was a pretty tough decision.

There was the huge Jacuzzi and indoor swimming pool across from the bar and the other one next to Jake's room. The one next to Jake's room was more reasonable considering it was the two of us, but the other was magnificent.

The entrance was an oval shaped opening concealed by pretty beads only. The fancy lighting from the bar shined through into the room and that made the whole area a blend of colors and reflections from the water. The Jacuzzi was in the right corner, circular in shape and wide enough to fit plenty and entry was gained by climbing up just a single step. The pool was rectangular and stretched a great length, it was beside the Jacuzzi and accessed by some descending stairs.

The Jacuzzi had pink water, the pool of course was blue but there were other lights beneath the water. The whole room seemed to glow in the dark.

I decided to be reasonable. "The one beside your room is fine." I answered him. He took my hand and led me there.

On the way, we passed by what I recently learned was the home theater. This was the room that had drawn curtains blocking the windows. The room was big and had two rows of red microfiber seats that could rotate, massage, and more with just a button. In the front was a huge movie screen, the projector was above the seats on the ceiling. In one corner of the room there was a popcorn, snack, and soda machine - there also was a slushy maker. The last thing worth noting about the home theater room was that there were actually separate men and women's restrooms.

I hadn't gotten a chance to watch movies in there but Jake certainly had because he went on and on about how slow the popcorn machine was.

I stepped into the bathroom with Jake and he once again locked the door behind us. He turned on the lights and started towards the hot tub. He turned it on and started to light the candles along one end of the tub with some matches he retrieved from the cabinets near the sink. Once they were lit, he turned the light off in the room - I watched enchanted as the candlelight made shadows dance along the walls.

The room suddenly smelled of roses and oil - an intoxicating combination. I stood idly by with a shy smile as Jake's eyes traveled to me. I fidgeted under his gaze, unsure what to say or do.

"Um, I-I don't have a swimsuit to get in with..." I said meekly.

Jake chuckled softly and approached me with a fiery look to his eyes. "You don't need one baby girl. You don't wear a swimsuit in this." he purred huskily.

I shrank away from him, cursing myself for being so shy. "J-Jake I..." I was trembling. I knew what he meant - I was going to get in _naked_... with _him_. I was still so nervous about being naked in front of him - what if he didn't like my body?

Next thing I knew my lips had locked with his as he encased my face within his large hands. I melted and fell against him, he felt warm and so wonderful against me.

He gently pried my mouth open and slid his wet tongue inside. I moaned and started to wrestle tongues with him. He tasted like apples, his favorite fruit - it was yummy to taste on him. I pulled away to breathe but only for a moment as his mouth attacked mine once again.

He nibbled my lips and tasted every ounce of my mouth, he pulled away, and a trail of saliva from my mouth to his seemed to glisten under the light in the room. A second passed before he started again, nibbling my bottom lip gently with his teeth. His tongue licked at mine and I moaned softly when he sucked on it fervidly.

The feeling of his hot wet mouth and tongue wrestling against mine was exhilarating – it set my body on fire.

Jake pinned me against the wall and started to kiss all down my neck, and then his attention traveled upwards to my ear. He bit softly on the shell and whispered soft, sweet things to me until he started to nip and suck at the skin along my collar bone. I closed my eyes and whimpered feeling hot and needy with his affectionate gestures, my hands found their way under his shirt and I rubbed all along his muscular torso.

We needed this – it had been almost two weeks since we had any contact with each other – all the stress and drama was distracting but now all we had was each other.

I ran my small delicate hands over his six pack and upwards to his chiseled chest. My long fingers grazed over his nipples and I used my middle finger to play with them a bit. I was nervous about doing this but I couldn't help my curiosity.

He groaned a bit and licked at my chin before kissing my lips once again. He hummed softly as his hands traveled down my back to my jeans. His hand slipped down my pants to grip my ass cheek and give it a _nice_ squeeze.

"I-I like that..." I breathed arching my back to let him clasp it again. He growled a bit in response and to my delight he gave it a firmer hold. I cooed and felt weak-kneed, I wanted him to do it over and over.

I had a pink blush staining my cheeks, my face felt warm from it and I was mentally drooling as I imagined how wonderful it would be to lick all along his chest while he touched and fondled me wherever he pleased. I pictured bending over and letting him smack at my ass. My mouth watered at the delicious but dirty thought.

I heard him chuckle and I just felt like dying of embarrassment. Why did I keep forgetting he could read my mind?!

_Oh gosh I'm never gonna live this down._

"Shh, baby girl, don't worry - I ain't one to judge." he laughed and gave me a warm hug.

I shivered and met his eyes timidly. "Really? B-But it's so..."

He kissed me, I whimpered from the contact. "Forget it, we all got our kinks. Now come on, join me." he gestured to the tub full of bubbling hot water.

He started to unbutton his shirt and I squeaked and turned away, my face was completely ablaze. "What's wrong, Supergirl? You can't handle my good looks?"

I frowned, aware he was teasing me but I still felt shy. _Oh just do it Sherry! The worst he could do is say you look terrible - but he's already said he finds you beautiful. _I started to undress myself starting with my socks and then my jeans. Once I got down to my bra and panties, I lost my nerve.

Suddenly, I shivered feeling a hand - Jake's hand - tickle along the skin on my back.

Starting from the back of my nape, his knuckles ghosted down my spine until they reached my bra. He unhooked it with a single hand and my periwinkle blue bra slipped from my body and shoulders to the floor. I held my heavy, shapely breasts up by crossing my arms under them.

I trembled more as his knuckles continued their descent down my spinal cord to the waistband of my panties. I gasped when I felt both his hands come to linger over my hips for a moment until he hooked his thumbs onto my panties and slowly started to pull them down.

He slid them down my long, creamy legs and I stepped out of them almost robotically as I tried my best to not freak out. This was Jake, a man that I trusted with so much of me - he hadn't given me any reason to distrust him, so why was I so timid?

I gasped once more when I felt his lips feather and kiss under my left buttock. I peeked over my shoulder at him, and saw he was gazing up to me with a smile that just eased my fears. He kissed my right cheek and then rose up to do the same action on my lower back and love handles.

Jake stood up, tall and gorgeous, his arms came around my shoulders and he pulled my soft body against his hardened one. His skin felt good against me, warm too.

"Don't be shy, Sherry. You're beautiful." he purred into my ear.

I swallowed hard and steadied my breathing. "J-Jake?" he hummed in response. "You said everyone has kinks, what's yours?"

He chuckled deep and smooth. "Well, I like really like the idea of being your master, _naughty_ girl." he nibbled my ear again and I felt moist between my legs. He came very close to my ear to whisper: "I just adore the prospect of you being completely at my mercy and willing to do anything to please me."

I bit my lip and wiggled against him. I felt his hardened shaft against my soft ass, pressing – throbbing. "Of course you would." I breathed.

"Come on, let's get in." he scooped me into his arms and I didn't protest at all.

As we submerged into the warm water, I let out a sigh feeling as if I were on cloud nine. It felt amazing on my skin and muscles. Jake had me sit across his lap with one arm supporting my mid back and the other on my thighs. We stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like ages.

I wasn't sure what was going on with me – I was so taken with him I just wanted to be near him whenever possible.

When I woke up in the morning, he and Mar were the first things that came to my mind. I wanted to kiss him every time I saw him - I wanted to bury myself in his embrace and just stay there forever. Wherever he went, I wished he would take Mar and me with him so we could all just be happy together.

_What's this feeling? Why do I feel this way?_

"Sherry?"

"Y-Yes?"

"You've got some big blue eyes…"

I pouted but a giggle escaped me. "Wow, you make it sound like I'm an alien or something."

He laughed. "Nah, I didn't mean it like that baby it's just you've got some big pretty eyes. It's cute on you." he pinched my nose and I fought him weakly until he let go. "I'll always take care of you, you know that don't you?"

I nodded, blushing. "Yes, I do."

"You look… nice naked." I was shivering now. He was getting curious, I could tell by how his eyes were traveling but he didn't go below my chest, he'd just shyly look elsewhere when he came close.

I had my arms covering my chest but I suddenly I didn't want to hide from him like this. He was such a wonderful guy – rough around the edges but still wonderful. "It's okay Jake, I don't mind you looking." I said honestly and moved my arms.

"Wow…" he awed as the hand on my thigh came up to hover over my exposed chest.

"What?" I asked awkwardly.

"They um… they float." I nearly passed out laughing and soon he joined me.

"I guess they do huh?" I choked out.

A moment later we had locked eyes once again, almost as if we were both unsure of what to do next. We were together, our bodies naked and together but we were both inexperienced – at least I had no clue what to do next. I kind of had a feeling Jake knew some things from what he may have heard on the streets or something.

A few more moments passed and finally, he spoke up wrapping his arms around my middle.

"Sherry?"

"Yes, baby?" I purred, trying to fight off the sudden warmth I was feeling between my legs again. His voice was so husky and deep, I loved how my name sounded on his lips.

"Mind if I uh... do things to you?" he asked raised a brow and smiled a bit unsurely.

I blushed and shook my head. "Not at all... but can I touch you too?"

"Sure." he breathed.

And that was when I knew we were about to take a new step.

* * *

[Warnings for Mature Content]

* * *

I whimpered when I felt his thumb pads rub circular motions over my nipples. I arched into his touch and shifted so I could straddle him. I blushed prettily when I felt his stiff length throb against my lower belly as I leaned against him. I kissed him softly on his lips as he squeezed and played with my breasts.

"Nice..." he purred before dipping his head. I gasped when he pulled my body up some more and his mouth made contact with my left tit.

He sucked on my pink nipple gently, stirring and teasing the hardened nub with his tongue. I felt the hand that wasn't gripping my soft mound come around my back and stroke my buttocks tenderly.

I could feel his thick flesh against the soft aching folds between my legs, I whimpered softly and started to grind against him. I groaned quietly and stirred as I tried to get to an angle where my clit could rub against him, I wanted to ease the ache, I needed to. Once I found it, I shuddered and started a slow grind. It felt amazing - the skin on his hardened length was soft but that stiffness was perfect for pleasing me.

He slid his tongue all around my sensitive nipple until he gently bit down on it. I hissed and grinded harder. He started to thrust against me and I cooed in delight. He suckled the tit a little more until he swapped the positioning of his hands and started to give my other breast some well needed attention.

I began to kiss at his forehead - there were sweat beads trickling down the sides of his face from the heat of the tub and room. The massage bubbles in the tub kicked on suddenly and the vibrations from them shot up right between my legs. I moaned and felt Jake wrap both of his arms around my middle and suck on my right tit like a baby.

I cried out in satisfaction as he grinded against my clit while still fondling my breasts with his warm wet mouth.

"J-Jake... It feels so good." I whimpered. I placed my hands on his broad shoulders and used them as a means to steady myself as I worked my middle more.

He pulled and sucked at my nipple until it was aching. I whined once he pulled away. He looked up at me and I slid down his hard body to kiss him feverishly. His tongue instantly shot into my mouth and he sucked mine again, groaning softly.

My fingers traveled to his nipples and I tried the same action he did for me. I caressed the hardened nub and even slid down enough to toy with it using my tongue. He growled and his hands came to my hair as he kissed my forehead whispering sweet words to me.

I used my free hand to rub myself - I needed something to stop it from tingling. Jake took both of my hands and held them around my back with one of his. I looked up questioning this but he shook his head with a glint to his eyes.

"Just use your mouth, _naughty_ _girl_."

I felt flushed but wanted to play along with him. "As you wish, _Master_." the amused smirk on his face told me he liked my answer.

I sucked and nibbled on his nipples, earning myself a few more groans and grumbles. I was so needy just listening to his responses. I wanted to rub myself but I was unable - the ache had become overbearing now.

"Mhm, Jake, could you... oh gosh..." I whimpered when his free hand forced my head over so I could lick his other nipple. "Jake, I'm so achy..."

"I know, trust me - I know." he chimed almost darkly.

He released my arms and I sat up to rub his chest again. The massage bubbles were easing the ache for the moment until he would make his next move. I purred when I felt his hand cup my sex. He came forward and kissed me over and over while he played around with the folds.

"Wanna go to my bed so we can try something?" he asked me suddenly.

"Try what?" I responded, fervid with desire for him.

"Whatever feels comfy for you baby girl."

After a moment, I nodded and he scooped me up once more and stepped out the tub. He put the fire out on each candle and stepped into the next room. I only blinked once and I was on the bed - legs spread and back flat on the sheets. It was dark and I figured he planned this on purpose. He wanted to feel more than he could see because it gave him more satisfaction - I grew to know this about him.

"Sherry?"

"Yes, baby?"

"I wanna taste you. You okay with that?"

If there were any light in the room, I was sure I looked like a cherry. I knew he could see me but from what I could make out, his eyes were closed. Maybe he wanted to get more in tune with my body by just feeling instead of seeing.

"U-Um, sure..." I whispered feeling a bit cold now - I was wet from the bath and the fireplace was unlit.

I felt his hand linger on my outer thigh and I shivered. He came around to the side of me and with my eyes now adjusting to the dark, I descried his eyes were open now as he gazed at me with soft hues of blue.

"Your whole body is glowing." he said so softly I could barely hear him. "So pretty..." he was hesitating. _Perhaps he's worried that I don't want his touch?_

"It's okay, baby." I told him, rubbing his free hand as I remained in the position he'd put me in. "I know you won't hurt me and I'll let you know what's good and what hurts - though you always seem to do what's good." I smiled softly and couldn't help but blush.

His hand traveled from my outer thigh to the inner side and slowly to my exposed and eager sex. He tickled around with my outer parts of genitalia for a bit until he used his fingers to spread my lips down there. Once his middle finger grazed my clit, I jerked a bit and he left his hand there. He stirred it with his finger and I wiggled trying to get more from the action.

He realized my enjoyment and started to work the sensitive nub more attentively but with his thumb. I started moaning softly, stirring about as I enjoyed his curious fingering. He felt around for more sensitive spots and I let him, feeling absolutely special to him.

Jake moved to kiss my lips softly, I wrapped my arms around his neck so he wouldn't move before I tasted all of him again. I moaned into his mouth, he didn't stop his caresses while we kissed and I was pleased he didn't.

He got onto the bed down by my feet. He moved slowly between my legs and I felt shy but a bolt of excitement as he gazed at my naked body, waiting for him to explore more.

He smirked and winked at me before his head dipped and I felt his wet mouth devour my sex. He coated it with saliva before he tenderly began licking my labia, and then spread my sensitive lips again to suck on my clit.

I almost screamed at how good it felt.

"You like it?" he asked me before he went back to the job.

"Yes…" I breath over and over.

He held a hand on both of my thighs – close to the buttocks and then his hands slid upwards along the back of my thighs to the back of my knees.

A split second later, my legs were spread wide, his strong hands holding me in the position as he held my inner thighs apart. My wet center was in plain view for him – immediately, he began to lavish my sex with attention, his tongue experimenting everywhere.

I tossed my head side to side as I whimpered, moaned and cried out at the pleasure he was giving me. He sucked, licked and teased my sensitive clit, humming a tune as he did so. The feeling of his tongue down there brought me so much stimulation I was thoughtless. My entire body was shaking and I felt something stirring within me.

"Mhm," he hummed deeply. "You taste _good_, Supergirl." he drawled.

I half-moaned, half-cried in response as I tried to fidget but his hands held me firmly in place. Instead, I began to play with my breasts, arching my back as wave after wave of pleasure hit me. Jake kissed my clit and sucked on it some more before I felt his left hand release my thigh. He used that hand to trace along my wet, pink folds.

He poked and tested me, trying to find my entrance I assumed. Eventually he found it and he slid a finger inside my moist opening. I cried out and arched my back at the new sensation. I felt him lick at my clit some more as he began to pleasure me using his finger. It felt good too - the feeling of something inside me, pressing against something inside me that long yearned for attention.

He never stopped licking me and playing with my sensitive folds. "You're my sweet girl. I need you with me all the time, Sherry - cuz you're _my_ girl. **Mine**. Do you understand that?"

_Gosh he sure is a fast learner! _He really was considering it didn't take him long at all to figure out how to make me squirm.

I grinded desperately on his finger inside me, he added another finger and I yelped at the discomfort at first - yet again the cooling effect came and I felt this sensation my body never felt before. It was hard to describe but I just loved it.

"You're my everything, Sherry - I wanna know if you understand that." Jake said hoarsely, his fingers pounded into my entrance. "Answer me or I'll stop."

"J-Jake please - please don't." I begged him, losing touch of reality.

"Do you understand me, Sherry - do you understand how much you mean to me?" his thick and powerful fingers hammered inside me, his thumb caressing my wet clit.

He moved further between my legs and hovered over me, he removed his fingers for a moment to put my left leg over his shoulder. I whined out a protest and squirmed, begging him to put them back. A second later, his fingers returned to finish pleasing my sweet spot.

He slid another finger inside I cried out loud before sitting up some to meet his beautiful eyes. I saw his stiff and long erection protruding out at me and I decided I wanted to touch him. I wrapped both of my hands on his beautiful thick flesh. It made my mouth water as I gazed at the pretty pale skin, the tense ball sack and pink tip. I wanted to taste it like he did for me.

I began to stroke his length. I wasn't sure what I was doing but I wanted to please him while he did the same for me. I wanted to feel release and I wanted him to feel it with me.

His fingering me intensified after I grasped his flesh in my small hand. He rested his forehead against mine, sweat coating the both of us despite the room temperature. I moaned and purred as I felt myself succumbing to his touch. I licked my hand and left a coat of saliva on it and started to rub a lot more slickly over his arousal.

"Do... do you like it?" I asked timidly. _Please like it - please tell me I'm doing well._

His breathing was a bit off as he shuddered before replying with a dry sound of approval. He kissed me deeply and the drool from his mouth moistened my own. I repeated my earlier action and coated his flesh with more dribble. In response, he dipped his head once again and started to suckle my tit again salivating on it and running his tongue along my supple mound.

He pounded his digits inside me harder, going deeper now and zooming in on what I feared was the end.

"J-Jake!" I moaned his name as I felt closer than ever to him and relief. "I-I worship you too... I think I lov- _Ah_!" I cried out and arched my back as his fingers hit a wonderful spot inside me and with a flick of his wrist, euphoria took over me.

The next thing I knew I was seeing stars. My entire body was trembling, my eyes were wide in shock of everything I'd just experienced but I saw nothing but lights. I felt like I was floating, the aching was gone and in its place was calm... like I was resting on a bed of roses.

"Wow..." I heard Jake say before he laid beside me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my soft body to his. "If that's us just fooling around... I wonder how you're gonna be when we get to the real deal." he chuckled a bit and kissed my forehead.

I nodded with a hum and yawned, feeling absolutely spent. I felt him kiss my lips before he whispered something but I didn't comprehend what he said because I had begun to feel sleep take over me. Before I drifted off, I tried to tell him how safe he made me feel, how at ease I was with him and how much I appreciated his care for me but if actually heard me, I wasn't sure.

* * *

[End of Mature Content]

* * *

My eyes fluttered open. It took me a moment to remember where I was that morning. I was in Jake's room, in his bed - but I was alone. I groaned quietly and sat up in the soft bed looking around for the man I was with overnight. I looked down at my body, tangled in the dark satin sheets - I gasped once I realized I was naked.

Memories surfaced and I felt hot in the face. I'd gotten intimate with Jake - very intimate. We may not have had intercourse but we did take things to a whole new level.

I didn't feel regret at all - which was good right? I felt comfortable with what I'd done with Jake. He was very affectionate despite his tough guy exterior - I was even more proud of him for toning down his recklessness and showing more concern for his mother, Marlowe and of course me. He had even ceased his raging over his father's behaviors.

He was great - I adored him for everything he'd done so far.

_But where is he?_

I tried to crawl out of the bed but my legs felt quite weak. "J-Jake..." I croaked - my mouth felt dry. I wondered what time it was, I had to get Mar ready for school today and couldn't afford to run him late.

I noticed the bathroom light was on so I wrapped the sheet around my body and moved towards it. I tapped on the paper door thrice and waited patiently for an answer. Water could be heard on the other side until it cut off, a second later Jake slid the door open and greeted me with a smile.

_Oh thank God._

"Mornin' Supergirl, you look well rested!" he greeted with a smirk, I caught a whiff of mint, he must have just finished brushing his teeth. There was a towel around his neck, on his bottom he wore a pair of black boxers. "I was just about to wake you."

I blushed and sort of hid behind the sheet I was wrapped in. "G-Good morning... and um yeah, I slept pretty well." my eyes traveled down his chiseled chest and I wanted run my hands on him once again.

"Good to know," he chuckled and allowed me to enter. "Then again, I figured you would after that orgasm you had last night."

I almost fell over. "J-Jake!" I fussed and hit at him.

"Relax! It was _beautiful_..." he purred and made a dive for my lips but I backed away quickly. "What's wrong, Supergirl?"

"I should go shower and freshen up before everyone else wakes up." I explained. "I need to be in my room or in the kitchen when Mar awakes - I like for him to feel comfortable and safe so I need to be consistent with him."

"I know, but I can't get a kiss?" he asked looking slightly offended.

"Sure," I kissed his cheek. "The rest can wait – I gotta freshen up!"

He scoffed and glanced at his watch. "Oh, yeah well it's 5:45 – you might wanna get moving."

"Right…" I fidgeted a bit, my cheeks reddened. "Th-thanks for the wonderful night, Jake. I think it was just what we needed after everything that's happened these past few weeks."

"I thought so too - and no problem, I'll do it again whenever you like baby girl."

I hugged him tightly, kissing his chest softly. "Thanks, I'd... I'd love that." I swallowed a lump in my throat as I recalled something. "Um, Jake? Did you... um, you know. F-Feel the same thing I did last night?"

He pulled away from me and tilted his head in what I assumed was curiosity. "An orgasm?" I nodded stiff and timid. "Heh, no I didn't - But don't worry about it, there's always next time." I smiled a little. "I uh, wanted to tell you that I liked pleasing you."

I blushed and looked away, my face burned hot. "Jake..."

"I _relished_ making you squirm and whimper with need 'til you became lost in ecstasy before my very eyes." his voice was hoarse but soft.

I shivered and eyed him meekly as he kept his eyes locked on me. "So clean - so pretty... I'd do anything to see you look like that again – and that taste… _delicious_."

I backed away to the door, knowing that if I didn't get away now, this wolf-like man would catch me in his den and never let me go. "J-Jake, I have to go... could you unlock the door?"

He smirked. "Sure - but do we got a deal?"

I blushed and nodded. "Yes, I promise you'll see me like that again." I felt tingly just telling him that.

"Good." he reached around me with the key in his hand and unlocked the door, his gaze never leaving me. "Cuz you got an amazing body, baby girl."

"Thanks, baby." I whispered and kissed his cheek again. "I'll see you upstairs in like an hour, okay?"

"Gotcha."

* * *

Jake took Mar to school that morning so I was able to catch another hour of sleep before starting the day. When he returned I had already started on the laundry and was mopping the kitchen floor while the machines did their job.

"Careful, Jake - I just mopped there." I said when he entered. "You wouldn't want to slip."

"Yeah, thanks for the tip." he replied dryly. He sat on one of the stools along the counter and rested his forehead on his palm.

"What's wrong baby?" I asked him quietly, still mopping around the floors. I would have to break out the steam mop if the floor didn't shine anytime soon.

"You know what's wrong, Sherry." he scoffed irritably.

It didn't faze me, I understood his frustration but I only asked just in case something else had happened. "I'm sorry, I wish there was something I could do to help you guys."

"If only we could get you in the room with her - then we could learn what the fuck happened. We got no leads, the cops aren't giving any damn answers and the worst part is we don't even know if she will ever wake up. She could be in a coma for weeks, months, years – hell who knows how long!"

I leaned the mop against the wall and came over to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. It was killing him inside to see the girl he thought of as a sister just struggling to keep herself together while someone she loved dearly was brutalized and no answers were being given.

"We can't even bring you into the hospital with that fucker Simmons running around. If he would just piss off then maybe we could try something - anything." He shook his head and sighed loudly. "But damn it I won't risk him trying anything with you."

"What exactly is so bad about him - I mean, he creeps me out but why do you and Helena hate him so much?" he shook his head again and I frowned. "Jake please, you have to start talking to me. I may not have known her long but I care a great deal for Helena - if there's anything I should know I would appreciate it if you could tell me."

It took him a while but he finally started to talk.

"Simmons is a no-good womanizing asshole. He uses women, abuses them and has no problem throwing them away after he's through with 'em." he growled before continuing. "He's always treated Babe and her sister like crap, beat 'em for no reason and continued to until Babe finally raised enough money to get an apartment for the two of them to get away from him. Unfortunately, Deborah's a soft-hearted chick - she kept going back and forth with the asshole. She's got a big heart and sadly that's where her struggles always come in."

"Peter?"

"Exactly. That piece of shit took advantage of Debbie whenever he could. He beat her, prostituted her -"

"Oh my God..." I gasped horrified.

"Yeah and that ain't all either. The loser had the nerve to make her drop out of school and do some drugs just to fuck up her life – she's gotten into college recently but it was hell getting her through high school with the guy looming around. Simmons never even cared, it was Babe who always struggled with the girl trying to convince her to leave her abuser and stop the lifestyle."

"How awful…"

"Ain't it? Well, I always tried to help her out with her sister but she always claimed it was her burden to bear so I left it alone most of the time. Babe finally started to open up about her sister's shit when we caught the girl piss drunk outside a bar. She was surrounded by drunk and horny dogs ready to have fun with her - you know how much I **hate** drunken dogs."

"How could I forget?" I replied.

"Well anyway, I demanded she tell me the story and she did. Later we found out that Peter had left Debbie there to whore her off to anyone for fucking 20 euros. That pissed me off so much that from that point on, every time Peter reared his ugly ass face I kicked his ass. Still that didn't stop Debbie from crawling back to him whenever she could."

"Goodness... why? Why stay with someone who hurts you?" I wondered aloud.

Jake shrugged. "Beats the hell outta me - but I call that shit weakness. Here she has Babe and me willing to keep kicking his ass for hurting her and she keeps crawling back - it's dumb as fuck. Debbie could get any dude she wanted with her looks yet she settles for a dickless douchebag."

I rubbed his shoulders hoping to ease his tension. "Maybe it's because of the abuse she suffered from Simmons." I almost hissed his name. I completely dropped the honorific, he didn't deserve it. "She wouldn't know any better if the only man in her life was abusive, right?"

"I guess not..."

"Gosh it's all so awful..." I rued quietly. I wished I could actually get inside the room with her, then all of this turmoil would ease and she would heal - that way everyone would smile again. _Wait a second... that just might be it!_

"Jake, Simmons isn't at the hospital all the time, is he?"

He snorted. "Hell no, he doesn't give a shit about her, he just pretends to."

"Maybe I could go to the hospital in disguise? I could buy a wig and -"

"I don't want to risk anything happening to you." Jake renounced and shot me a hard look over his shoulder. "Don't even think of it - there's no telling when he could show up, we don't even know what he could try to do to you and I don't wanna find out or I'll kill him."

I deflated and lowered my head. "I-I... then what can we do? We have to do something -"

"Sherry, please -" he spun around in the chair and took both my hands in his. "You just stay here where it's safe and look after mom and Mar. We're gonna find this piece of shit Peter and get answers soon - in the meantime, you focus on yourself for now and hope for the best, okay?"

"But Jake -"

He growled. "_Damn it _would you just _listen_?!" I flinched away from him and instantly his eyes softened. "Sorry... I just wanna keep you safe, Sherry. Why's that so hard for you to understand?"

_He's afraid... but what's he afraid of? _"Jake, why are you so concerned for me?"

He sighed. "For God's sake, Sherry! Remember when I was running around here like a chicken without a head and you started to tell me how important it was that I stand up and stop making rash decisions? You told me I needed to think about the people I care about for now on and I'm doing just that. I'm gonna take care of you no matter what."

I stood motionless and met his eyes meekly. "I... Okay, I understand, Jake."

"Sherry..." he sent me a demure look. "Can't you tell that I... -" he stopped and stood up. "Look - I'm sorry for yellin' at you, but just try to keep yourself settled for now okay? We might be relocating pretty soon so I just wanna try and help Babe as much as I can before we go."

"Relocating?"

"Yeah, to Finland." he said wrapping his arm around my neck to hug me close. "Let Firehead and that Hero of yours know so you can spend some time with 'em before we go."

"When are we going - how long are we staying there?" I asked curiously.

He shrugged. "My dad mentioned something about it being around Christmas but that's only a few weeks away. We might stay there for the rest of the winter."

I felt a mix of excitement and unease. On the bright side we all would be seeing new scenery for a while. The flip side was that I would be away from Claire for months in Finland and unable to help support Helena.

"There's no way we could stay here?"

Jake shook his head. "'Fraid not - you gotta travel with Mar because you're his caretaker and I'm not letting you, my mom and the little guy go without me there to keep you guys safe. I tried to convince the old man to reschedule but it said he had already made arrangements for our tickets and shit. I mean damn, I'm paying for it so you'd think he could reschedule."

"You're paying?" I asked with big eyes.

"Yeah." he smirked. "I told you I get paid - a _lot_." he chuckled a bit. "We got this agreement going on, I pay for the winter trip and that house in Florida - he pays for the rest."

"Wow..." I awed wondering just how much money did Jake actually make when he worked.

Just then, my cell phone rang loudly from my bedroom and I excused myself to go answer it. I recognized Piers number instantly and answered quickly.

"Piers? Is everything okay?" I asked hurriedly.

"Hey Sherry," he greeted me calmly. "Don't worry, Helena's doing alright for now and no news about Debbie unfortunately so I'm sure if I can say everything's fine."

"Oh... Well I'm glad Helena's okay. I'm so sorry all this has happened..."

"It's not your fault - but I'll give Miss Thing your condolences. In the meantime I was calling to see how you were. Jake told us about Simmons posing a threat to you - it just seems like he's out to get everyone lately."

I felt a pang in my stomach. It was comforting to know he understood the circumstances behind my absence. "I'm alright, how are you feeling? It must be hard trying to stay strong and be supportive in such a difficult situation..." I came from my room and saw Jake was sitting on the couch with his eyes closed. I moved over and sat beside him and leaned my head on his shoulder while I talked to my friend.

"Nah, nothing's too hard when it comes to my girl." he laughed a bit and I giggled. "I'm staying positive - it doesn't matter how much time passes, she has a chance to regain consciousness and we'll have to be patient for that time to come."

I smiled. "I like your optimism - it makes it easier to relax a bit." I rubbed Jake's thigh, hoping he would unwind some more. He looked tired and I wondered should I urge him to take a nap.

"When you've seen what I've seen, you learn to either fall apart from the pain or look on the brighter side. Anyway, Miss Thing's asleep here so I guess we won't be searching today. I think it's for the best, she needs to sleep more."

"She's staying at your place?"

"Yeah, we were at her house when we heard of what happened so she can't stand to be there at the moment - she's concerned that if we go there something else will go wrong. It really hurts her to see the only family member that she's bonded so closely with and was beside her when they had no one but each other... to see that person holding onto life because of a machine is devastating."

"Gosh, it's so devastating..." I whispered. "If you don't mind me asking, did Debbie have any friends? How are they holding up?" I was just curious.

He was silent for a moment. "Yeah, we talked to a few of them about Peter but none of them knew anything about his whereabouts and none seemed to be mourning much either – sad really, Debbie's a fun person so I can't understand this at all."

"Did you guys ever find out where she was when the attack happened?"

"She was on her way to the apartment. No one knows where she was coming from but her friends told us she said she was headed home."

"And there were no witnesses to the attack?"

"No one saw the attack but a witness heard it and called the police."

I considered this for a moment. "Did Helena talk to Deborah earlier that day, she didn't give any info on her plans for the day?" I looked up at Jake, noticing he was just staring at me - his eyes were unreadable.

"Helena was asleep when she woke up that morning. I know because I stopped by the house early to meet her. Debbie let me in the house and told me she was headed to class early because she had an exam to study for. That was around noon and apparently her class started around 16:00 [4:00 pm] so she said she was looking forward to the extra study time. I offered to drive her there but she claimed it wasn't far and didn't want to trouble me."

I thought some more on that. "Can anyone confirm that she made it to class on time?"

"... Her teacher Mr. Sera did. He said she came inside pretty stressed out but that's normal for college students on exam days."

"I wonder where she studied at. Is there a campus library that could have caught her on camera? Or maybe she never got a chance to study? Maybe Peter was the reason she came inside the classroom stressed...?"

"The police told us that they caught camera footage of her at the campus library entering at 14:20 [2:20 pm] and then leaving at 15:47 [3:47 pm]. That's what struck me as odd..."

"What did?" I asked him.

"The arrival time. It takes about 30 minutes for her to reach the campus on foot from Helena's apartment. So why did it take her until 14:20 to make it to the campus?"

_Hmm, curious. That is odd. If Deborah left at noon, she should have made it to campus around 12:30 but for variable's sake the latest might have been 13:00 [1:00 pm]. Why did it take her over an hour to get there and could something have happened before she made it there? Piers says she was looking forward to extra time to study so why would she show up late for studying time?_

"Is it possible for any of you to see the security tapes from the school?"

"We looked into that already." Jake answered me hoarsely. "Cops took it for evidence so nothing else to be done."

Piers must have heard him. "Yeah so that was a lost cause."

"Hmm, what about Deborah's cellphone? Maybe she received calls from Peter?"

"Cops took that too." Jake deadpanned.

I sighed. "Okay, now this I have to know - did they tell you guys where she was when she was attacked?"

"That's just it - she was found on the streets, bloody and beaten. The authorities said she was attacked elsewhere but they had no idea where and she was left in the area after the assailant thought she was dead. She was thrown in a dumpster in a busy area but no one saw a thing - only heard."

"So wait a minute, I'm... I'm confused. Someone called the police about hearing a disturbance somewhere and the police didn't find Deborah in the home or wherever - they found her in the garbage in totally different area? How would they even link the two together if they took place in two different places? It's confusing…"

"Confusing as hell, really." Jake slurred and wrapped his arm around me. "My theory? Debbie falls for Peter's tricks again and goes to his house to see him. He beats the hell outta her and thinks he's killed her so he leaves her in a dumpster somewhere and then skips town."

"I'd agree with Jake if it weren't for one key thing..." Piers said and a long drawn out sigh followed.

"What?" I asked, Jake looked curious too - his super hearing must have made it easy for him to hear Piers speak.

"If Peter did this, he would have had to have an injury to his hand and his home would be a blood bath."

"How do you know that?" I questioned, my interest tweaked.

"I'm a trained fighter and I'm sure Jake can agree with me when I say that stabbing someone would definitely result in physical injury to the victim _and_ their attacker." I looked at Jake and he nodded with his eyes shut.

"There's more... if Peter were responsible, the police would have entered his home and arrested him on the spot because there would be no way he could clean it up and treat his wound by the following day - remember, they questioned him and he was released... perhaps there was someone else that caught their attention."

"You mean to tell me you think that sack of shit she called an ex-boyfriend isn't responsible?" Jake growled darkly - I rubbed his thigh to calm him.

Piers inhaled deeply on the other line. "I'll tell you why." he paused. "The other day, the police came here in searched the house up and down, taking Deb's computer for evidence and everything - trying to figure out who she could have met after she took her exam."

"Her professor, Mr. Sera said she completed her exam around 17:40 [5:40 pm] and left after that - which means it should have taken her 30 minutes to make her way back home. So something happened to her between 18:10 [6:10 pm] and midnight that caused her to get harmed."

"Now, the reason why Helena and I didn't panic earlier on was because she sent a text for Helena stating she would be hanging out with a few friends after class for a while and we could expect her back around 22:00 [10:00 pm] at most – this message didn't come until 19:23 [7:23 pm] exactly."

"The time seems off." I noted. "What could she have been doing for over an hour before she decided to send a text?"

"That's just it. I think the message didn't come from Debbie. It came from her attacker trying to cover their tracks." my stomach did a somersault. "Even worse, this person knew Helena's name – they knew Helena was her sister even though Debbie never listed Helena as her sis or anything in her phone – in fact, she had her listed under a different name, she was listed as Miss Thing – as per my suggestion of course but still – they even mentioned _me_ in the text."

"Doesn't that point to that bastard of an ex of hers then?" Jake snorted. "What are the odds that her attacker would know you and Babe? It has to be Peter or someone we know.

I was trembling, this was really disturbing to learn. I put the phone on speaker so things could be less awkward with Jake playing the role of an innocent bystander with super powers.

"If you would let me finish _Jake_..." he snarled. "After that text, Helena and I paid the absence no mind until time flew by and then Helena started to call her only to go straight to voicemail."

"So, when the police came and searched the house the other day, I overheard one of them talking about a series of similar attacks in the area... it hurts to admit this but - I have a suspicion that Debbie might have been attacked by a serial killer."

_Serial… killer?_

"Piers, you shouldn't -" I put my fingers to Jake's lips to silence him.

"Please, explain Piers." I pleaded.

"I watched the news a few nights ago and saw some reports of a girl assaulted. The characteristics were the same. Someone heard screams and called for authorities but no one was found until later a girl turns up dead in a dumpster behind a local fast food restaurant. Apparently she's the fourth girl found this way - but for some odd reason, Debbie wasn't mentioned... maybe it's because she survived."

I felt a pang in my stomach as I remembered the guys attacking me and attempting to run off with Sheva. Could it be that these were the same guys? What if because they couldn't get Sheva and me that they sought after other girls and brutalized them?

Jake noticed my distress apparently. "Supergirl? You alright baby?" he wrapped his arms around me as I began to tremble even more than before. He took my phone from me and sighed. "Hey look we'll talk about this later, Jarhead - Sherry needs a moment."

I couldn't hear Piers response [Jake must have taken it off speaker] but Jake hung up shortly afterwards and started to hold me. "Now do you see why I wanna keep you safe?" he said softly and then he let out a long sigh. "I'll be honest - I noticed the link too. I won't talk too much about it cuz I don't want you to suffer from that night anymore but I realized the connection almost instantly."

"But you... beat them up so... how could they?" I looked at him.

"I should have killed them... but I didn't because I didn't want you to see anything like that."

I stared long and hard at him. Piers said Jake would know what he was talking about when it came to knife attacks - perhaps that would explain the scar on his cheek. Also, was it possible Jake had killed before? He spoke about how he could have done it so nonchalantly... did he...?

"Jake, you never suspected Peter from the beginning, did you?" I asked curiously.

He shook his head. "I want to but I know it wasn't him. It's easier to believe it was that douche but the truth is there's something much worse out there and the best thing right now is to move for a while until the person or people responsible for the murders are caught."

He kissed my forehead softly. "Believe it or not, over the course of the Halloween party, I talked to your Hero and found out why he and his partner were here in London. It's because of these cases."

_Leon and Ada are here to investigate? _"Really?"

"Yeah, in fact, before we left with the kids and while all of you were talking and playing around, he and I were actually talking about his reason for being here. They're here to look after you and Firehead but I told him I would protect you no matter what."

"He started talking about how Firehead was such a willful person and that he didn't know how to make sure she was safe so I -"

_But Claire lives alone! _"Jake, Claire is -"

"She'll be fine." he stated. "Steve knows the deal now and he's got his people undercover keeping a watch over her."

"Undercover?" that made me skeptical and amused.

"Yeah, Steve's dad works for the Canadian government as an agent and all that shit. Like me, Steve's made some friends all over the globe in the upper ranks and they willingly work for him. Not saying that he can't handle himself - he's a gun hoarder, he loves rapid fire guns and all that jazz - carries weapons on him everywhere he goes believe it or not."

"He does?" I asked incredulously.

"Yep, and I've got another shocker for you. Carlos, David and Thundercat are his personal bodyguards."

"Wow, you guys are all so... capable." I grinned. "But I wonder what Sheva's gonna do now that she's pregnant."

"Dunno but it won't be easy to do her job while carrying a kid around."

I nodded but something came to me. "So wait, you already knew something bad was going on around Halloween?"

Jake sighed. "Yeah, I could tell because a lot of girls were going missing... that's why once I saw those guys Halloween night running around, I had to stop 'em and ask questions. I didn't want you and the kids alone and trying to have a good time while they were around. If they had been responsible for the crimes then there would have been hell to pay if they touched what's _mine_."

"Oh Jake..." I whispered and snuggled deeper into his warm embrace.

"I just had to go and fuck up leaving you alone the other day while I did stupid shit..." he growled in frustration. "Listen, I know they hit you. I read that about you when we touched that night. I'm sorry but I was worried. I feel like I failed you... if it weren't for your powers you would have been brutalized and I would have been responsible... Fuck."

I felt like crying. "Jake please, don't blame yourself... I was the one who -"

"Stop, Sherry - you're not to blame. I should have known better. I promise you it won't happen again - I swear on my life that I will never leave you in danger again. Never." he pulled away to cup my face in his large calloused hands. "I swear it baby. I swear it."

I smiled weakly. "I believe you Jake, but I have a question for you."

"What is it? I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

"You're a trained fighter like Piers, aren't you?"

A silence came.

I watched as he pulled away from me entirely and slouched over with his elbows resting on his knees. His head sunk and his shoulders hunched while he sighed and grumbled things I couldn't hear. I was about to ask him once more but he spoke up and stopped me.

"My mom and I didn't always stay with my Dad. When I was two years old she took me and ran away to a place called Edonia. We stayed there for years, struggling to get by because mom didn't really have much education and I was a kid. To get money, eventually I started offering my services to do criminal jobs - I was a kid so no one would suspect a kid was stealing goods or retrieving information for bad guys against the feds. I did this for a while until I turned 13. One day I came home and there was this big guy with scars all over his face. He told me he would hire me to do some jobs with big money and I took it without hesitation - even though my mom didn't like the idea."

"You became a mercenary?" he nodded slowly and I scooted over to him and rubbed his back soothingly. "Tell me what happened, Jake."

"I got put through some trials and stuff and I passed every single one without issue. I was powerful without even trying - he and all his people were impressed by me. They compared me to a man I'd never heard of but they repeated his name over and over - Albert. Albert Wesker."

"Your dad... How did they know of him?"

"I'll get to that..." he sat up and leaned his head back as he gazed at the ceiling. "It was my third mission with the guy and there was this explosion... Bang!" he emphasized it with an open and shut palm. "Edonia was always like this but that day it was different. We didn't even know who we were fighting against, we were just sent out there and when that explosion happened..."

"I remember looking around and it was dark, smoke was everywhere and all the others were dead except me... And then I saw him. He stared down at me while I laid there covered in blood and soot. He called me by my name as if he'd known me forever. I passed out shortly after that and when I woke up I was in a hospital."

"He saved you?"

He scoffed. "Whatever." I giggled. _He saved you but you're too proud to admit it. _"Well anyway, it turns out my dead beat father had actually been looking for us for years. Now that he had found us, he expected me to be a son to him and wanted to be a father to me. I hated him with a burning passion."

"Why?" I asked bewildered. I would have loved for my dad to come to me like that.

"He put us through a lot with his failed attempts to find us. We struggled every single day just to get by. I was a preteen when he showed up, I'd lived my entire childhood without him, I didn't know him for Christ's sake. Because of him, I wasn't able to enjoy my childhood. Whatever he did to my mom that made her leave him had placed me in a situation where I had no choice but to be a man when I should have been able to play and have fun. Suddenly he shows himself and I was expected to worship him or some shit. I wanted nothing to do with him."

_So that's why Jake didn't like his father before I came along, he held bitter feelings from his childhood against him. _

"Mom decided we should move in with him saying 'he's ready to do right by us now' or something. So we did and no matter what he did, I still hated his guts growing up – Well, until you came along and told me I had to let it go."

_'Ready to do right by us now'...? Hm, Mr. Wesker must have been a pretty bad guy to make Mrs. Stephanie run away with Jake for all those years. Something must have changed about him to make her trust him again and move in with him._

He rubbed behind his neck with a small grin. "So yeah, I was once a merc, in fact even after he took us in - I still did some dirty work whenever the job presented itself but I officially stopped a few years ago. I came back with this scar you see -" he pointed to the long scar on his cheek with his index finger. "Mom flipped saying she couldn't handle the idea of the men she loved being in danger and begged me to stop or she would never forgive me, lock herself away in her room and all that mess. She never did have the best health so I took her words into consideration and stopped."

_Can't handle the men she loves being in danger? Lock herself away in her room? And all this about her heath... could it be related to her panic attacks? _This really got me thinking... It reminded me of what Ms. Excella had told me Halloween night.

_**Thank goodness, you're nothing like **__her__**. You've got spunk – there's a spark in you that won't let you crumble at the sight of danger. **_

_Crumble... as in weaken from fear of a threat. _

_**...they deserve women like us. Women who won't let them trample all over us while we hide away, afraid of them...**_

I traced the scar, earning a sharp intake a breath from him. "How... did it happen?"

"Got ambushed in South American jungles - everyone else had died and I was the only one left. A guy came after me with a knife ready to kill me, probably gut me open and take my head as a prize for his mantle -" I gasped and he smirked. "Relax, it doesn't matter what anyone tries my way, I'm indestructible - I'm built like a tank! A flimsy knife wound could never stop me! I took 'em all out and dragged my battered body to a safe house."

_Could Mrs. Stephanie be hiding in her room because of Jake's behavior? But that's odd because he says he's stopped - and I believe him. That said, even if he was still making bad choices, that still doesn't mean she should run and hide away. She should confront him like I did and it wouldn't be hard because Jake listens to her quite easily._

_She ran away with Jake before but that time it was because of Mr. Wesker... he wasn't 'doing right by them'. If she's the type who runs from what she fears... what's she afraid of now? _

"Long story short, I recovered from the injuries, finished the mission and made my way home. The rest is history."

"Wow..." I whispered cracking a small smile. "You're incredible, Jake - to survive things like that takes one hell of a guy."

Jake grinned proudly and folded his arms behind his head. "Hn, what can I say? It's in my gene's baby girl!"

_I could have been just like Deborah if it weren't for my abilities... _"All of you are so tough... You, Piers, Helena – Sheva, Carlos and David are bodyguards for Steve who can even handle himself. Hell even Claire's taken some self-defense classes with her brother, Chris and Leon's self-explanatory..."

"And what do I have to prove myself? Oh yeah, I have healing abilities… Big deal. I can't even help everyone if I'm not near them..." I moped.

Jake wiped away a tear that started to fall from my eye. "Sherry, you're gonna be fine okay?"

"But I want to be stronger too Jake!" I shouted trembling. "I want to be able to defend myself! I wish I had some skills so I wouldn't be the weak one out of the bunch..." I couldn't help it - I started to cry.

I didn't want to sit back and do nothing while everyone protected me. I didn't want to run away and hide away from danger! I wanted to fight back - protect the people I cared for and prevent harm from coming their way. I wouldn't run - I couldn't. I wanted to fight and be a force to be reckoned with – even with my demure looks.

"Sherry - you don't have to fight. You're useful in your own way and I'd hate to put any responsibility like that on you..."

That pissed me off. "Jake please..." I cried. "I feel like I'm useless! I couldn't stand a storm when I tried to help your mother, Sheva had to help me get away from the dogs and even when we split up I had ran away and crumbled crying to myself in the dark until you came. I couldn't protect Sheva from those disgusting pigs, I couldn't even protect Mar from getting away from me – because of me, he was almost crushed by a bookshelf!"

"Sherry..."

"Face it, Jake – I'm... weak." I was falling apart inside. I never felt so much self-loathing before. I was pitiful. "In fact... if it weren't for my healing abilities... I wouldn't even be _here_ -"

"_Shut up_."

"But Jake -"

"I said **shut up**!"

I flinched, my breath caught in my throat. He was looking at me with eyes of blazing fire. He was angry - flaming with rage judging from the look he was giving me. I was still as a statue, afraid that if I moved he would attack me.

"You try, don't you? You do your best where you can right?" he drawled to me, his voice deep and raspy as he watched me seething with anger. "So why the _hell_ are you beating yourself up?"

I couldn't handle that gaze of his, I turned away. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Look at me." I shook my head weakly. "Look at me right now."

I was scared to. _You're truly being weak, Sherry - you're running from your fears. How are you any better than Mrs. Stephanie? _"J-Jake I... I can't."

I got up and made my way towards my room. I needed to compose myself before I did any more damage. I felt disgusted with myself - this was why I couldn't face him. I had degraded myself by being so pathetic and it made me feel awful.

When I got to my room I nearly screamed upon discovering Jake had made it there before I did - but he had been sitting on the couch when I left! How did he...?

_Oh yeah... super speed..._

He stared at me with cold eyes. "What's your problem, Sherry?" he asked harshly and I bit my lip from his tone. "Jesus Christ - you're doing the same shit Deborah did! I already swore to you that I wouldn't let anything happen to you ever again! Why can't you accept that?! Why won't you let me take care of you...?"

I sat down on the bed and hugged one of the stuffed animals tightly in my arms. It was a white fluffy bunny - fitting really, considering I felt like a helpless little rabbit myself. "Jake... I-I'm sorry... please can I have a moment to pull myself together?"

"You're asking me to leave you alone after you just said that to me? Heh - you're really a mental case right now." he let out a disgusted laugh and I didn't blame him, I was really out of it...

"Please, I'm so, so sorry. I've been trying to block that night out of my mind and it just... I can't seem to. I feel like I'm falling apart because I haven't truly accepted it. Please Jake, I just need a moment to get my thoughts together. I promise I'll come to you once I have." I leaned back onto the soft mattress and curled up on my side facing out the window at the cloudy day outside. I couldn't look at him - I felt I looked truly pathetic.

"I can't..." he said softly.

"Why?"

"Because I... I hate seeing the girl I -" he stopped again.

_The girl you what, Jake?_

He sighed loudly. "There's a reason I call you Supergirl, ya know. There ain't much you can't do and there sure ain't nothing you wouldn't do. So you're not a Kung Fu legend or whatever – who cares? You're still a fighter to me. It doesn't matter what you go up against, you try hard and don't back down. You stand up for those who can't and you're always trying to help whenever you can. You're a voice of reason where the most of us resort to violence and bitter anger."

"So what if you get scared and cry – there's nothing wrong with that. I don't care what anyone's told you in the past. Being afraid and crying does not make you weak."

I felt his hand on the small of my back. "I wanna keep you safe, Sherry. You're a force all your own, gentle and responsible but I see you as a girl who hides an iron fist in a velvet glove. You never give up and you don't back down. Heh, if I'm the man of steel - you're the lady of iron, you're my Supergirl."

"Oh Jake..." I felt stupid.

"I know you're scared baby girl, but trust me – you're always safe with me."

_Scared… it's true, I'm scared. That's why I'm freaking out like this._

Here I was, lucky to be alive and healthy - unharmed yet Deborah was in a coma, her future lied in the hands of time. I had survived through her ordeal, yet I was wallowing in a pity pot instead of taking that experience and doing what I wanted to do all along – help everyone around me.

I shouldn't be so weak. I'd survived each of the experiences and yes I had endured because of the help I received from others but wasn't that what I always wanted?

I always wanted friends, people who I could care for and would do the same in return. And each and every single one of them had done just that - helped me because they cared about me.

What was really so wrong with getting help from others? I thought about Jake's words when he said that he didn't understand why Deborah wouldn't accept the help offered by him and Helena - I think I kind of understood now. She probably was like me – wanting to be strong on her own, make decisions for herself.

But I had walked that route before and it wasn't a happy one. It was a lonely life. Now I could see the effect of what happened when one tried to walk a life of solitude.

The difference between Deborah and I was that I didn't reject the help I received. I allowed people to help me, despite my former life of over-independence and even though I accepted assistance, I still didn't run from danger. I fought back to protect the people I cared for. I didn't hide even when I was scared, I stood my ground each time.

But for some reason, I was feeling unnerved. I didn't know how to stand up - I was still quite bothered by the memories of the men who had attacked me, especially after seeing how capable they were of brutalizing a girl. If I hadn't been able to recover, I surely would have been killed - it made me feel awful. I could have died that day and the idea of it... _scared_ me.

_I really am afraid..._

I sat up and looked at the man I put so much of my faith in. He was crouched down beside me, rubbing my thigh soothingly. I felt like a jerk - I said such a horrible thing and all because I was scared. I probably scared Jake too - he was probably afraid of the same thing I was - that I could have been just like Deborah.

I managed a small smile towards him and he returned it. "Jake... please forgive me. I shouldn't have said such a thing... I wasn't thinking."

He shook his head. "Don't, you shouldn't apologize. I get it, you're scared and there's nothing wrong with that baby - as long as you keep reminding yourself that I'm here and I'm gonna keep you safe no matter what."

_That's right, because you're always there when I need you._

I smiled warmly and put down the stuffed animal to extend my arms out to him. "I could use a hug right now."

He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a tight squeeze before collapsing softly onto the bed beside me. He pulled me on top of him and just held me there where I felt warm, safe and cared for.

"So in the next few weeks or so we're gonna head to Finland where I know you'll be safe but..." I just listened quietly as I rest my head on his chest. "If it would make you feel better, over the time we spend there, I could teach you a few things so that you can take down any dude that comes near you – at least until I get there and destroy them."

I practically squealed and squeezed him tightly which made him laugh. I showered him with kisses all over his handsome face until I got to his lips. I boldly pecked his lips three times repeating over and over: "Thank you!"

"So I take it you're feeling better?" he asked with a raised brow once I stopped. I nodded ecstatically in response to him. "Good, I hate seeing you like that. Promise me you won't do it again - that you're gonna remember how special and strong you are no matter what."

I kissed him once again. "I promise." I assured and buried my face in his chest to hide my reddened cheeks. "You're the best, baby..." I purred.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

* * *

Later that day, Jake and I went to pick Mar up from school. I went inside the building to get the little genius and when I returned, Jake looked more than troubled. I strapped Mar into his booster seat and asked worriedly what was wrong once I got back into the passenger's seat.

"I need to go – now." he said hurriedly but I gripped his arm.

"Jake, what's going on, please tell me." I begged as he started to pick up speed. Mar was in the back strapped into his car seat, quietly watching us with big blue eyes.

"It's Deborah." he said darkly.

I gasped. "Jake, please – take me with you."

"Sherry you know I can't –"

"Remember what you told me? As long as I'm with you I'm safe – remember?"

He stared hard at me. "You need to look after Mar, Sherry."

"Or I could come with you…" Mar said soberly with a blank face.

I looked back and forth between the two. "Jake please, Mar and I won't get in the way – but I'm tired of sitting at home helpless. Supergirl doesn't run from danger – you know that." I smiled.

He thought for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, how about this - you two stick with me, but in the event we're separated, Sherry do not leave Mar's side, understand?" I nodded.

When we arrived at the hospital, Jake led the way as I had no clue where Deborah's room was. I held Mar in my arms so I wasn't able to run too fast but once we finally made it, Sheva waved us over. Immediately, she put a brown wig on my head [that she pulled from her purse… ] and gave me some glasses – I asked why but she urged me to wear them anyway.

A second later I knew why I needed them – it was Simmons. I quickly put the glasses on – luckily they were prescription and I could see through them and then I straightened up the short bob cut wig, brushing the brown bang down on my forehead.

"At least this way he won't notice her on first glance." I heard her tell Jake. He had a brow raised when I looked over to him but eventually he nodded and asked for me to hand Mar over to him.

"I'll keep him for the moment, he'll notice you instantly with the little guy."

Simmons was inside the room talking with the doctors. He looked calm and collected as always but at some point he had the nerve to laugh at something. What kind of person finds any humor in their life while someone they call a daughter was suffering.

"You've been here all day?" Jake asked Sheva.

She nodded. "Steve told me to keep an eye out for Simmons. I called everyone and they should be here shortly."

"Why you though?"

She shrugged. "He doesn't know me from a friend of you guys or Deborah's. In the event he asked, I was told to say I was her friend and worried for her."

"What's he doing?" I asked watching him cautiously.

"I don't know, but out of everyone I've seen here today he's the only one who's allowed to go inside the room. No one, not even Helena has that privilege so what the hell's going on?"

I glanced over at Mar and rubbed his back. He was calm and doing the same thing the rest of us were but I wanted him to know I was still there for him. He side glanced at me and then back to Simmons. He was extremely focused on something…

I noticed Jake was on the phone now, it sounded like he was talking to Piers. "Piers and Helena just made it," he announced. "They're coming in now."

Sheva checked her pocket and pulled out her cellphone. "Carlos, David and Steve are here now too. Let's see what he's going to try."

Once the group arrived, Helena growled when hre eyes caught Simmons. She tried to rush inside but Simmons agents were blocking the way now. Piers and Steve sent me a confused look for a second but Sheva explained her reasons for disguising me.

"What's he doing in there?!" Helena shouted. "If I can't go then why is he able to?!"

"Stand back ma'am – the conversation is confidential." One of the agents told her after ushering her backwards.

"Get your filthy hands off me! That's my fucking sister in there!" I gasped when Helena punched the guy square in the face, knocking him clean to the floor.

Chaos erupted instantly. Hospital security raced over and tried to restrain Helena but at this time the other agent pulled out a small black object. I saw Piers race over and before it could make contact with Helena, Piers twisted the agent's wrist and a loud pop sounded out.

I saw Jake was missing – a single flash went past me and there was Jake holding down one of the security guards while Helena kicked the other in the groin. Carlos, David and Steve then entered the brawl as more security emerged.

It looked like a hundred car pileup.

Siren's sounded out in the hospital as calls for security became more frequent. I scooped Mar into my arms to protect him from getting trampled by the barrage of people running pushing others around.

I saw bodies flying – huge security guards were tossed into the air, landing on potted plants and other hospital furniture. Sheva came up beside me, a fierce look in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Mar and me. A second later we were bulldozing through the masses like football players. For a pregnant woman, Sheva sure was powerful!

As we closed in on the center bunch I could make out Helena straddling an agent while she pounded his face in. Carlos and David were taking down security left and right. The other agent and Piers began to engage in a violent exchange of blows with Piers delivering a debilitating uppercut to the guy that made him stumble backwards and fall onto a coffee table.

And then there was Jake. He was the one tossing the security guards. He was a one man army who just seemed to flash everywhere, smashing faces in one second and in the next he was sending people flying in all directions.

I looked away after hearing a loud whistle ahead of us. It was Steve, signaling for us to come to him. He was at the entrance to Deborah's room. As we neared him, a security guard grabbed Sheva and slammed her against the wall. I gasped in horror as he roughly began to restrain her.

I frowned and felt a power come to me that I never had before. I buried Mar's face into my chest so he wouldn't see anything and I did a low roundhouse kick to the guy's side that sent him tumbling over, clutching his ribs in pain.

Sheva got up quickly and wrapped her arms around me again, a smile on her face. "You're pretty tough behind that baby face – aren't you?!"

I grinned and looked down at Mar. He was smiling too. _I did it! I kept them safe! I never knew I could be so strong!_

As we closed in on Steve, the agent that Helena was fighting had knocked her off of him and dizzily made a lunge for Steve, asserting that none were allowed entry to the room. I held my breath but was stunned when Steve's foot collided with the guy's stomach and he pushed him back down to the floor with a forceful forward kick.

_Wow... he really can handle himself. Claire's a lucky girl._

"Go on, Sherry!" Sheva shouted, pushing me forward into Steve's arms. "Get in that room and help her like you helped me!"

I looked back and forth at her and Steve. "But first…" I yipped as Steve freed one of my arms from Mar and pushed it inside his coat. "Feel along the back of my jacket and grab the first metal thing you feel." he said with a smile.

It was weird but I did as he asked, trying to stop blushing from being so close to him and pulled out a black baton. _How'd that get there? _"It's a stun rod, Sherry – if Simmons' tries to hit you, whack him with it. By then Jake should kick the door down and take care of the rest – good luck!" he said cheerfully.

I was speechless at first but then he punched the lock on the door and ushered me inside…

The doctor looked terrified as the door shut behind me. I stood there helplessly with Mar in my arms but the stun rod clinched in one hand. Simmons was surprised at first but then a creepy smirk crept onto his wrinkled face.

"Miss Birkin… is that you?" he purred and I frowned. "That disguise isn't very fitting for your natural beauty."

_I dare you to try something you pig!_

"What are you doing, _Mr_. Simmons? Why is it that you can see her but Helena can't?" I asked sternly, Mar slid from my arms and landed softly on the ground. He was beside me and he looked solemn as he stared at Simmons.

"That's none of your concern, girl. Go away." he spat darkly.

"He's trying to pull the plug on her." I gasped and looked at Mar. "He's trying to convince the doctor that Helena doesn't need to see her sister and it's best to end her life because she's a vegetable. I heard him."

I sent him the harshest glare I could muster. "Is that true?!" I demanded an answer.

He shot daggers at Mar and I stepped in front of the child so he couldn't intimidate him. "I'm up here, Mr. Simmons – I expect an answer!"

"She's brain dead! What good is it to keep her around?!" he exclaimed irately.

"She survived a brutal attack and you want to end her life without giving her sister a chance to say goodbye?!" I challenged.

"Um, sir…" the doctor started suddenly. "Did you want me to turn off the machine?"

"Of course I want you to. There's no need for dead brained women to keep living." he glared darkly at me and I frowned at him. "Pull the plug."

"No! Stop!" I sprinted over to stop the doctor as he reached to end Deborah's life.

Simmons grabbed me around my waist. "Do not get in the way!"

"F-Father…?"

Everyone stopped.

Deborah was looking at us!

_She's… She's alive! _I felt tears swell in my eyes.

The doctor pulled back from the machine and smiled. "Well, it looks like there's no need to –"

"**Yes there is**!" Simmons shouted suddenly and I flinched under his tone. "Pull the plug or I'll have your license!"

"B-But she's –" the doctor tried but Simmons roughly dropped me to the floor and back handed the doctor with such force he fell onto the machine unconscious… unplugging it at the same time.

Mar came over to me as I cried out in horror. He tapped me and pointed to Deborah – she was sitting up! My presence really was curing her!

A second later Simmons snatched me up from the floor and suspended me in the air by my upper arms. "_You_! You're the reason for this!"

I cried out in pain, unable to stop him. A moment later I fell to the floor as he yelled an anguished cry. I saw it was Mar – he'd hit him with the stun rod! Simmons crumbled to the floor and Deborah cried for him. She looked at me and frowned behind those bandages on her face.

"He's my father! How could you?!" she shouted. "_Get out_! Get out of here!"

"W-Wait – I'm here to help! He was going to –" she hit the alarm close to her bed.

Instantly the door opened behind me and security rushed inside. I grabbed Mar close to me and we were snatched away by the authorities and removed from the room. The brawl outside had still be raging on but now there were actual cops on the scene.

Sometime after that, everyone was taken to the police station.

* * *

Unlike everyone else, Sheva, Steve and I weren't taken into a holding cell or anything. They cuffed us to chairs in the waiting room and surprisingly they left Mar with me. Steve told them about Mr. Wesker and they shut their mouths instantly. The guy must have had some **serious** street creds.

I knew we were also in some **serious **trouble.

We were all going to be questioned about what happened and if we were lucky we would just be subjected to community service for a while but that was highly unlikely.

A while after we waited there, Mr. Wesker showed up and judging from the look he gave me, I knew I was going to be fired. I screwed up while trying to play hero, endangered Mar and even got arrested while he was in my care. _I would fire me too... But it kills me to think I'll never see this little guy again... _Tears came to my eyes.

"Miss Birkin," he said coldly and I looked up to him with a look of fear and misery. "You understand this is unacceptable behavior – and in front of my youngest son, how _despicable_."

My heart hurt. Is this what I would get every time I tried to help? "I understand, sir… and I agree."

"I will discuss this with you later." he looked to Mar as he sat on my lap, hugging me. "Marlowe, stay here with her. I'll bring your brother out shortly."

Turns out this was all a plan set up by Jake, Helena, Piers and Steve to try and help Deborah… but in the end – it was for naught.

Shortly after I was hurled away, the doctors had announced Deborah was dead._  
_

* * *

A/N: One hell of a chapter! I hope everyone was okay with the steamy part in here. And this is officially the longest chapter ever. I really should have broken it apart – I apologize for the length – it just seems like a burden to make it this long but I couldn't find a good spot to split it at.

Things are really heating up for poor Sherry! Is she going to be fired? Only the next chapter will tell!

If you have any questions or concerns let me know! In the meantime, see you next update! Remember to R&R – it's good to hear feedback on the fic's progress!

See you soon!

- Vio


	14. It Takes Time

Chapter 14:

It Takes Time

* * *

I wasn't sure how he'd done it, but Mr. Wesker and Steve's father were able to get everyone off without charges. Steve's father had shown up a little after Mr. Wesker did and bailed out Carlos and David while Mr. Wesker did the same for Helena and Piers. Sheva was going to be staying at Carlos' place [she was carrying his child] so Steve's father volunteered to take them home.

Helena and Piers returned to his apartment while Jake, Mar and I made our way home with Mr. Wesker in his truck.

On the way home, Mr. Wesker only said spoke to Jake but only about him picking up his car from the hospital parking lot. He drove there and Jake got out of the truck to go to his car. Mar wanted to go with him but Mr. Wesker demanded that he and I stay with him, no if's, and's, or but's.

I said nothing the entire ride, I just looked out the window from my seat in the back beside Mar. I was too ashamed and scared that Mr. Wesker would go into a fit of rage on me if I said a word.

I just didn't know what to do. I was certain I would be fired but I hoped differently. The thought of being jobless brought back memories of my former life, struggling to pay bills and make amends with no sign of hope for my future. It just killed me inside.

I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket and I discreetly pulled it out. Noticing it was a text from Jake, I viewed the message.

_**I promise you I'm not gonna let him fire you. It was my decision to involve you and Marlowe so he's got no reason to be angry at you. I'll take the fall for this. **_

Despite his words, I felt I needed to take responsibility too. I just couldn't sit back and let Jake take all the heat for this. I chose to get involved without thinking of the consequences that would come if Mar had gotten hurt and I needed to be honest with Mr. Wesker and accept the punishment I would be dealt.

I glanced over to Mar, he was already staring at me. He looked concerned and I sent him a small smile. It was all I could muster at the time. He lifted his hands and did a sort of gesture with them, he was doing sign language.

He was using the same gestures I'd gone over with him a few days ago. He was telling me he loved me. I smiled with tears swelling in my eyes, returning the gesture and adding a 'thank you' to him.

I couldn't bear the idea of losing my job - losing him. It just broke my heart.

* * *

Rebecca met us at the door when we arrived and took Mar upstairs with her. Mr. Wesker had Jake and I join him in his study.

I took a seat in the same spot of his study that I sat in on the day I was given the job, Jake sat beside me. I sat up straight but I was shivering, fiddling with my fingers. Jake was leaning back on the couch, left elbow propped up on the arm of the seat and his right hand rested on his lap. He looked completely unconcerned, but I felt like a bundle of nerves.

His father had his back to us as he stared to the skies above through the sunroof. The skies were dark and rain was pouring down outside.

"You are fortunate that no one was severely harmed, my son." he said finally without sparing us a glance. "Otherwise you and your friends would have been incarcerated for the remainder of the evening to face possible conviction for your misconduct."

"Tch." Jake scoffed, looking away. "Security shouldn't have interfered."

"Because our abilities far exceed the common folk is no justification for bullying them. Our blood is to be used for other means, you are aware of this." I watched as he placed his dark shades onto his desk without turning to us. "Jake Muller-Wesker, you are heir to a proud league of men and I hold no ambiguity as to your competence to lead in the future. However..."

"When you decide to become a man and let go of these immature and reckless exploitations... is what I await eagerly to see."

Once he turned to face his son, I bit my lip to hold back a gasp as I observed those eyes of his. They were orange and red, seeming to glow in the dark of the room - they were like the eyes of a snake or a frog, I wasn't close enough to distinguish. Now I realized that Jake's eyes were just like his fathers - they didn't look like fire, they carried the countenance of a reptile.

_What kind of genes do they have? _

"Someone in this fucked up gene pool of ours has gotta give a damn about the people in their life," Jake snarled and his eyes flashed like his father's. "So, go on as long as you want about how immature I behave - I'll do whatever I damn well please."

"Oh? Please enlighten me on just _how_ concerned you were for your loved ones. I have yet to comprehend how endangering your brother and the Nanny is evidence of a man seeking to do right by them." Mr. Wesker retorted calmly but his words seethed with venom. "You risked your brother being harmed while you besieged a hospital as well as put Miss Birkin right in the line of fire when I specifically instructed you to keep her away from Derek."

Jake quieted himself, I fought the urge to comfort him out of fear of his father's reaction. I couldn't stand this any longer, Jake wasn't to blame for everything - I needed to speak up.

"Mr. Wesker please, I begged Jake to let me help him and his friends - he isn't the only one at fault here!" I said while trembling.

"Sherry -"

"Jake, let me finish! Mar and I were supposed to stay out of the way but I -"

"_Silence_, Miss Birkin." I zipped my yapper instantly when his hard eyes locked onto me. "I am speaking with my son, it is in your best interest to refrain from drawling attention to yourself at this time as I will deal with you very soon."

I faced my lap and choked back my tears.

"She's not to blame, dad." said Jake. "Look, I never meant to put either of them in danger. We had everything under control but we had to act fast if we wanted to stop Simmons from killing Helena's sister." he covered his eyes with hand. "I knew the two of them would be fine as long as they were together."

"Elaborate." his father commanded, taking a seat in his chair.

"You and I both know that Mar is capable of protecting Sherry if he needs to."

_He... He is? _

I recalled Mar hitting Simmons with the stun rod and while it shocked me then, it nearly made me fall out of my chair as it finally hit me. I was saved by a child. A three year old child.

"That said, I didn't intend for all of this to happen this way..." Jake finished with a long sigh.

"Did you consider the possibility that he may not have been able to protect Miss Birkin?" Mr. Wesker pressed. "What if he had gotten harmed during your scuffle with authorities? Are you implying that you are comfortable with putting Miss Birkin's safety in the hands of a _child_? Is this what you call caring for your loved ones?"

I could tell Jake was fighting hard to stay calm. "Sherry, wouldn't **ever** let him get hurt." He sneered bitterly. "She's a lot more capable than you think."

"I am very aware of Miss Birkin's ability to heal those she comes in contact with."

My jaw dropped, Jake looked just as surprised as I did. "_You are_?" we chorused.

He was unfazed by our reaction. "Why wouldn't I be? I am able to see and observe the same details as you and Marlowe. One of the very reasons I hired Miss Birkin in the first place was because of her effect on Marlowe. The moment the child met her, he became fond of her warmth and that scent of lilacs that accompanies her."

I blushed, my eyes darted to my lap. _Well at least I know now that I was in fact hired by him because of Mar. It's comforting to know he would do whatever he can to make the child happy._

"That said, just like us, her abilities surely have a limit to them and it is important that she is kept away from danger in the event that her powers are constricted at any given time." he nodded to me and I fidgeted unsure of what he wanted me to do or say.

He returned his attention to Jake, I felt relieved that he took those reptilian eyes off of me; they unnerved me to no end. "By putting her in that situation you nearly exposed Derek to the gift she's endowed with. If he learns of her powers, there could be repercussions."

Jake lowered his head which caused my stomach to ache. _Please don't blame yourself Jake - I pressured you to let me help..._

"You say you are trying to care for the ones special to you - you should endeavor to make this a priority over everything else. My son, I am sorry for your friend's loss but let this be a lesson to you. So long as the corrupt are present in this world, you must make sacrifices to protect the ones you love - even if it means forsaking your own humanity to keep them happy..."

_Forsaking your humanity...? _I faced my lap once more as I thought. _Could Mr. Wesker be hinting that his reasoning behind his detachment is to protect his loved ones?_

Though Jake upheld a neutral countenance, he had nodded his head to Mr. Wesker as he spoke, as if he were taking his father's words into consideration and this scared me. What if Jake decided to be like his father - distant and cold just to protect everyone?

"All our efforts were in vain." he spoke hoarsely. "We couldn't even stop that asshole after all - that's what bothers me the most."

Mr. Wesker slid his glasses back onto his face. "Derek is very cunning and clever when it comes to getting what he wants - which is why Miss Birkin is to be kept away from him. Should he ever learn of her powers he would surely try and utilize them, his kind is certainly not above seeking immortality."

A silence came to the room. I felt cold, it was uncomfortable to know that Simmons would try and use me for something as ridiculous as immortality but then again, I did see him try to kill Deborah himself when she was recovering - someone like that is selfish and I could see why Mr. Wesker wouldn't put the search for infinite life past him.

The man had simply lost his mind when Deborah woke up. I'd never seen anyone so enraged! She was his daughter and he wanted her to die so badly he knocked the doctor out and almost surely would have injured me had Mar not interfered.

"Dad, you can't fire Sherry. She's special to Marlowe..." Jake said softly with his eyes firmly locked on his father.

"And you." my stomach did a somersault when he announced this so casually. I noticed Jake was taken aback too. "Do you take me for a fool, my son? I am not blind to your care for this girl. Though I am not sure if it is simple concern or perhaps you have deeper feelings for her."

Jake frowned, his eyes darkened. His father continued to speak. "Surely you understand that she is the hired help, for you to entertain ideas of becoming closer to her than anything on a professional level is generally not encouraged."

_And now he's killing me even more. _I felt tears stinging in my eyes. I had no nerve to look at Jake. _I knew it, I knew we were supposed to stay professional with each other... Now our feelings are involved and things are going to get ugly. _

"Miss Birkin," I nodded timidly to him. "You cannot be tagging along with my son and his friends. I am pleased that the two of you are well acquainted now as your responsibility is to maintain this household, however you must take your job seriously - I implore you to practice forbearance. The time will come when you will gain enough standing and until that moment presents itself, take comfort in where you stand because it is not a fruitless position."

_In other words, I can't hang out with Jake and everyone as much as before. I have to be more tact and loyal to my responsibilities. Forbearance... does he mean I have to practice more self-control? It makes sense considering I have been acting out more than I should lately._

Even though this was the first time he had caught me in a dangerous predicament, it may not have been too far of a stretch to assume Mr. Wesker was able to identify my problem behavior when it reared its ugly face.

_But what does he mean by my standing?_

"Do not worry, Miss Birkin. I have no intentions of relieving you of your appointment."

I released a sigh of relief. "Th-Thank you so much, sir..." I still felt guilty for my actions but I was being given a second chance and I swore to myself I would not disappoint him anymore.

"But I expect that you never display such irresponsibility ever again." I nodded firmly to him. "Good, I also have a few new added conditions for you to follow - and this applies to you as well, my son."

_New conditions?_

"What?" Jake asked blankly.

"I'll explain them to you both, but first I need to know that you two understand me completely. You both are in dire need of developing more patience. You're both too eager for your individual causes and it is doing nothing but causing me an inconvenience."

"Miss Birkin, I have observed you for some time now and have come to see you as a very determined girl with a driving need to prove yourself despite your gentle countenance. There's nothing wrong with this, however you seem to have this self-sacrificing nature that makes you careless with your own person. You'd be wise to cease your foolishness. Only a fool would value their life so little that they'd sacrifice themselves without thinking of who will be affected by their death."

"Yes sir." I understood that. I needed to stop sinking back into my autonomous, self-centered behaviors.

"My son, as I've explained, restraint is the best option as of now. I understand you want to keep everyone you care for safe. Remaining calm and observing is your best course of action. You should endeavor to reevaluate your need for disruption and excitement, replace it with something else. I am concerned for you - for a while you were quite mellow and balanced, suddenly you've regressed."

"It's nothing, I'm just agitated I guess." Jake replied with a dismissive wave.

_Mr. Wesker's wrong about Jake... he didn't digress intentionally. It's because of me that he's like this..._

I was the reason why Jake was acting out again.

He'd become much more controlled when I first spoke to him but it was because of me that he street raced again. It was my fault that he and the rest upheld the hospital so I could feel accomplished and save Deborah. He was just trying to keep me happy and it was backfiring.

My recklessness was getting blamed on Jake.

_I need to stop causing such a ruckus over things. Maybe practicing forbearance really can bring some calm to me. It's important that I do whatever I can to keep this household together and keep Mar away from danger. _

_I also need to be more conscious of Jake's affections for me. He's willing to do anything for me and I'm getting him in trouble._

For some reason I couldn't find a balance between helping and getting myself into trouble. First I was endangering myself, now I was dragging others into it with my self-righteous need to prove myself. I was being extra.

_It stops here. From this point on I'll start being more considerate and stop trying to play hero at the expense of the ones I care for. I have to be more aware of everyone else involved._

"So what new conditions did you wanna talk about, old man?" Jake asked.

"The first is that the two of you agree to keep Marlowe away from peril at all costs from now on." I nodded and kept my head down. "The second is that both of you must understand that your priority above all else is to protect the people in this home."

"The last is more of a proposal, think of it as a means of better protection."

"Hmm?" this came from Jake. My eyes wondered up to my mysterious boss.

Mr. Wesker placed both his elbows on the desk and interlaced his fingers before him. "You two are friends, yes?"

_We're definitely more than that... _I looked shyly to Jake and he nodded once to me. "Um... yes?" I said nervously. What exactly did he have planned?

"Hm, good - in order for this to work you two will have to maintain appearances. Excella's been a brilliant help with this scheme and her efforts up until now have made this plausible."

"What are you talking about?" Jake pressed with narrow eyes.

"Jake, would you be against the proposition of giving Miss Birkin a more significant standing in the home? It would help her against Derek, making it more difficult for her to become an object for his disgusting fantasies."

I glanced back and forth between the two men of Wesker. "That would be more than just great." Jake drawled in a lighter tone. "What's your plan?"

His father smirked and I was really anxious for an answer now. "Excellent, should this notion work Miss Birkin will be able to attend conferences with the family on a much greater scale as well as improve her relations with others of higher status similar to how you have in the past, Jake."

Jake returned the smug grin. "Ah, I see what you're getting at. If she climbs the social pillars then Simmons will realize her standing and cease his annoying pursuit of her."

"Exactly." Mr. Wesker confirmed with a nod. "Are you ready to learn of your roles in this?"

I nodded almost excitedly while Jake just shrugged. I was desperate to get Simmons off my back and away from me.

"We will be making our way to Finland next week. I am aware of the late notice but I had the trip advanced because of the events occurring in the city. I will give you until the day before we make our departure to decide if this is something you would be comfortable accepting..."

We waited patiently for his proposal. "Miss Birkin, forgive me for this but this is the only way to help you." I tilted my head curiously and glanced at Jake before turning back. _Forgive you for what? _"My son, the only way Miss Birkin will gain better standing is if you are to proclaim her as your _consort_."

My jaw dropped.

Jake eyes had widened, physically he stiffened. "_Consort_?"

Mr. Wesker nodded. "Yes, if Miss Birkin is called your consort it would help her with status. She would be viewed as belonging to you. With the two of you being unmarried, this just leads to the potential of marriage in the future - should you be willing to go that far is your decision. For the current time, this would simply be a facade to keep Derek at bay."

I was red like a cherry. "So, using terms from _our_ generation, we would be calling each other _boyfriend _and_ girlfriend_." Jake confirmed.

"You may refer to one another with whatever _term_ you please."

Jake tapped his chin. "Let's see... an _escort_ is a professional whore looking for a sugar daddy..." I felt faint at such an accusation but he shook his head. "Nah, Sherry's older than me, she's not money hungry nor would she sleep with me for money."

I twitched... that was just too kinky for my fragile state of mind.

"Consort is too old-fashioned - we'll just stick to the girlfriend/boyfriend thing. What do ya say, Sherry?"

A blush came to my cheeks. Before I could reply, Mr. Wesker stood and flicked on the lamp near the edge of his desk. "Miss Birkin, in the event you are passionate about keeping yourself as a mere professional housekeeper and Nanny, I will oblige that for you. But should you accept this proposal, not only will I continue to pay you for your work and responsibilities but you will also be given more freewill and exposure to others - therefore increasing your security and safety. Remember, the possibility of marriage would be further down the line and would entirely be up to you and Jake."

He pulled a book from the bookshelf behind him and opened it, skimming through it. "You have a week to reach your decision but please take your time and don't give me an answer until then. Jake, you may speak with her about this to provide her some comfort with her decision but you should allow her some time to think it over herself. In the meantime, you should be making some contacts and arrangements for the trip over the week and that should keep you busy as well as out of trouble."

Well, Jake and I were already 'boyfriend and girlfriend' so this wasn't too big of a deal - at least I told myself that. It was quite surreal to think we were just given approval for a relationship. However, the idea of being _married_ especially after Jake and me had only been together for a little over _two weeks_ was so much to take in...

_Actually we would still be boyfriend and girlfriend but with time we could marry... but that's entirely up to us to decide in the future. Everything's just so fast... I'm not sure I'm following any of this..._

"Um sir, not that I have a problem with this or anything but didn't you just say it's generally not encouraged for professional reasons?" I asked meekly.

"I've never been one to care for _human_ customs, in fact I break tradition quite often." he said matter-of-factly. "I am simply trying to be sympathetic to your feelings since you have been raised in said customs, correct? It would be unethical for me to force you into a relationship with my son at such a tender age. I am not sure if you are willing to place your future in Jake's hands if you don't find him to suit your tastes or deem him compatible."

"In the same token, I am unsure as to if you're involved with anyone currently..."

I shook my head. "N-No sir... I'm _single_." I looked at Jake and he sent me a short nod.

"I see, well then Miss Birkin, you are to attend to Marlowe and the home, I have already made contact with his school pertaining to his coming long-term absence so he will be home the remainder of this week. Remember to teach him accordingly. Jake, I have already given you instructions I expect you to follow."

He closed the book and turned to us. "You are dismissed."

When we left the room, not a word was sounded between us. I couldn't think of anything to say. There was so much going on now that I just wanted to leave it alone for the rest of the evening. I thought about calling Leon and Claire and inviting them over but I'd had a rough day and it was getting late, 19:19 [7:19 pm] from what my watch told me.

I couldn't leave the house so it was my best bet to invite them over for a while tomorrow. As for the rest of the evening, I really needed some time to myself.

I glanced at Jake as I neared my room. He was facing the floor and looked perplexed. I turned into the doorway of my bedroom and felt a pang in my stomach when he kept going, straight into the lounge. The door clicked behind him and I stood in my place for a while before I convinced myself to move.

We both needed some space after this day from hell.

* * *

I climbed the spiral staircase and called out for Mar. He came racing from Mrs. Stephanie's room and practically jumped into my arms. I gave him a tight squeeze and sat him down onto the floor and I crouched down before him.

"Mar, please forgive me. I've been so unreliable lately and I know it's affected you. I shouldn't have done that. I should have been more careful." I let my tears fall freely and he offered me a sympathetic look. "I promise you I'm going to stop. I'm... I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"

He placed both of his little hands on my shoulder, staring me dead in the eye. "I know you were just trying to help, Nanny Bear. But I love you and I don't wanna see you or my big brother do that ever again. I thought I was gonna lose you..." he lowered his head and I felt sickened by myself. "I believe you, Nanny Bear. Just promise me we'll be together always and we won't ever get in something that scary ever again."

I sniffed and nodded passionately as I wiped at my tears. I sniffed again before speaking: "I swear it, sweetie. I swear." he held out his arms and I hugged him lovingly. "Thanks for being by side, Mar. You have no idea how much you mean to me."

"Thanks for being my Nanny." he replied cutely and I let a laugh escape me before I kissed his hair.

"Good to see you'll be sticking around much longer, Sherry."

My eyes widened as I took in the tall figure standing in front of Mrs. Stephanie's bedroom. Waist-length kinky auburn hair, a long peach-tinted robe of silk material - I could make out a matching dress under it, and a pale pretty face...

"Oh my God..." I gasped as I rose to my feet, covering my mouth with my hands. "M-Mrs. S-Stephanie...!"

I couldn't believe it. This was the first time I'd seen her out of her bed! She was very tall, at the least 176cm [about 5"9] and had some slender curves. She looked quite healthy and judging from the pretty smile on her face I was going to assume she felt as good as she looked.

"Shocking, I know and I didn't mean to startle you dear but since the trip is coming up so fast I wanted to stretch and move around a bit so I wouldn't be too stiff once we get there." she held out her arms and I raced over to hug her.

"H-How...?" I asked breathlessly.

"How am I moving? Well, I'm not decrepit if that's what you were thinking - for goodness sake I'm 38 years old!" she laughed warmly.

"N-No ma'am I wasn't -"

"Easy, Sherry, I'm teasing." she sang softly. Mar came over and beamed up at her, she picked him up slowly and took a few uneven breaths. I gave her a concerned look but she held up her hand. "He's just heavier than I remember." I giggled and agreed with her. "For the past week whenever I got a chance, I started making baby steps beyond just my room and the bathroom. I started walking up and down the hallway here and with Rebecca's help I made a few trips up and down the stairs. It feels good to move around after so much bed rest..."

I was glowing with excitement. With her feeling better so much could change - in a good way. We could cook together, chat more and we could both keep Marlowe happy. I was sure Jake would love to see her moving around too.

"Would... would you like to come downstairs?" I asked her meekly. She handed Mar over to me and nodded slowly. I felt like pumping my fist into the air.

"I'd like to surprise Jake." she said as we walked side by side. I made sure to keep a steady pace behind her in case she stumbled and I needed to help her. As we reached the stairs I lowered Mar to the floor and he started down ahead of us. I held my hand out to her and she accepted it graciously. "Where is Jake, by the way?"

I felt a knot form in my stomach. "H-He's um... in the basement I believe, but he might just be in the lounge. It's been quite a day, ma'am..." I said softly after hesitating until we reached the bottom step.

"Marlowe's told me everything." I looked at her with grief written on my face. "I understand you two were pretty much thrown into a rain of chaos as planned by Jake and his friends... I'm sorry to learn that, Sherry."

"I'm afraid there's more to the story than that, ma'am." was my detached reply.

"I see, just be sure that you are more cautious next time. All of you." she stated firmly and lead the way to the kitchen.

"Yes, ma'am." I said quietly and followed behind her.

Mar was already going through the refrigerator when we arrived and I helped him into his high chair after he retrieved his favorite beverage - grape juice. I poured some into his sippy cup and begun to search for a small meal to fix. It was so late and I hadn't planned anything. I was sure Mar was starving...

Mrs. Stephanie wondered over to the back windows and peered out at the dark outside and the rain falling from the skies. "It's so ugly out today..." she said and made a slow stride towards the lounge doors.

"Want me to go get Jake, mom?" Mar asked. She smiled at him and shook her head. "You sure? I mean, I wouldn't mind but ... he's upset."

I swallowed hard as I pulled out a few frozen chicken breasts.

"I... I know he is, Marlowe." she replied softly. "I guess my little surprise will have to wait until another day..."

* * *

Four days later...

* * *

I came down the spiral staircase hoping to retrieve a couple beverages for Marlowe and myself. We were almost done with the daily instruction, just an hour to go and I could finally let him play for a bit while I cleaned the bathrooms... every single one of them.

I had to make sure that they were cleaned before Claire and Leon showed up. Mr. Wesker allowed me to have them over so long as all of my regimes were completed once they arrived.

Jogging into the kitchen, I flung open the fridge and searched around for a few water bottles and after I found them I scribbled a little note onto the nearby notepad that I had to make a trip to the grocery store and the meat deli later. We needed more bottled water, milk, fruits, veggies and sandwich meats - some bacon and Italian sausage would be delightful too.

When I shut the fridge door I almost jumped out of my skin once I saw Jake standing there. I hadn't seen him the last few days and while I was worried Mrs. Stephanie had assured me it was typical of Jake to disappear when he was troubled.

He looked fine, no visible signs of stress but his expression wasn't very readable. I brushed a piece of hair behind my ear and offered a small shy smile. "H-Hi..."

"Hey..." his voice was hoarse. "How ya feeling?"

I thought for a moment and then nodded a bit. "I'm... I'm okay. What about you?"

He shrugged. "Gettin' there."

Silence.

"How's the little guy?" he asked.

I fiddled with the top to the water bottle I held. "Yeah, he's - he's managing. He hasn't spoken anything about what happened since that day and he seems to still maintain that smile... but he's worried about you, Jake."

He nodded, lowering his head. "I'll talk to him, I owe him that." he eyed me again and sighed. "I'm sorry, Sherry."

"I'm sorry too." I said gently. I reached out for his hand and he laced fingers with me at our sides. "We both messed up this time, let's make sure it never happens again."

"Agreed." he breathed. "Look, I need to speak to Mar… he deserves to know that I do care about him – I'm just… I'm not good with thinking outside myself sometimes, I gotta fix that."

"You're not the only one." I said. "I've been selfish lately. I realize now that I can't keep putting myself in such dangerous positions, I need to make some changes to myself as well."

"I heard that your heroes are coming over later. Mind if I take Marlowe off your hands while you talk to them?"

I shook my head. "Not at all." he gave my hand a squeeze and I smiled. "Um, I have to go finish his learning session right now -"

"Oh - right, didn't mean to hold you up -"

"No, no, it's alright." I couldn't help but stare into his cerulean eyes and just stay there. I hadn't seen him in a few days and it was like my heart was pulling me to him. I missed him - sure it was silly to miss someone after four days but I truly did.

Adhering to Mr. Wesker's advice, I was thinking of the proposal daily but I didn't want to dwell too much. I wanted to take my time with it.

In such a short time, I realized that Jake wasn't just my boyfriend - he was my best friend.

I missed beating him up on Super Smash Bros Brawl, I would own his evil Snake with my cute Kirby - or when he would cheat and play with Ike when I was Pit. I missed him running up and giving me a wedgie whenever I bent over to dust something. I missed waking up and him picking on me because he could eat pancakes and I couldn't because I was on a diet.

Even though I hadn't seen him in four days, I still kept to the strict diet he put me on. I even took an early morning jog through the house back and forth from the front door to the back and even up and down the stairs.

It wasn't as fun without him but I still did it to keep consistent...

I missed him because he was so much to me. My bully, my buddy, my boyfriend, my everything.

"I um, better go..." I said breathlessly, blushing like mad. I needed to get away to tend to Mar.

"Yeah..." he said. "We'll... talk later."

His hand slipped slowly from mine and our eyes remained locked to one another. I wrapped my fingers around the other water bottle, clutching it in my hand and made a move to leave when I was whirled around, pressed against the sink and flushed against Jake's hard body.

I was speechless and his warm lips met mine. His hands encased my face as he pecked my lips with his and then deepened the kiss. I sighed against his lips and wrapped my arms around his middle.

"Thanks for being my Supergirl." he whispered against my lips. He kissed me again. I started to cry and he tenderly wiped them away. "Shh..." he pulled away and smirked at me. "That's my girl."

I sniffed and smiled at him. I was just so happy that we were still okay.

* * *

I sat in the front room, waiting patiently for the doorbell to ring. The snacks I'd lain out on the coffee table consisted of a bowl of mixed vegetables and fruits: broccoli, carrots, apple slices, and grapes. I couldn't resist the temptation for sweets so I played it safe and stuck with healthy snacks - for my own sake. I also had three glasses full of water present for them with a pitcher of ice cold water in the center.

When the doorbell rang, I hopped up from the couch and skipped to the door. I opened it and wrapped my arms around Leon first and then Claire [based on the order they entered the house of course]. I welcomed them inside and beckoned them towards the couches.

"Wow," Leon started when he sat down beside me. "This place looks much different without the spooky people running around." Claire and I laughed. "It's a nice place though, very classy and clean."

"Thanks, I do my best." I joked and they tittered at me. "Thanks for coming you two, especially under such short notice."

"It's no problem, Sher." Claire replied kindly, she had taken a seat across from us. "Tell us what's going on."

I took in some air. "First I'd like to know what's going on with you two. How is everything?"

"Fine." they said quickly in union.

_They really want me to spill the beans... _

I fidgeted under their gaze and let out a nervous chuckle. "Okay," I began after a long sigh. "Um, I'll be relocating with the family in the next few days."

"Aww, where to?" asked Claire with a cute pout.

"Finland." I answered.

They were quiet for a minute until Leon spoke up with a cough, "Ahem, well I hope you're prepared to dress warm and bundle up like never before because that place is **cold**." Leon said with a straight face. I could tell he was humored when a small smirk crept onto his face. "I'm talking three to four layers every single day."

"A camera is a good investment too!" Claire chimed cheerfully. "There's so many pretty sights to see and -"

"You guys aren't gonna miss me?" I asked dumbfounded.

Claire laughed at me. "Of course, Sher but remember what I told you before. I'm not gonna hold you back from anything - going to Finland is wonderful! They have ice-skating, real life reindeer, skiing... - they do have skiing right, Leon?"

Leon rolled his eyes. "I don't know, Claire. I don't like the cold so I wouldn't dare step foot there. I've just heard some stories."

Claire glared at him. "What is with men and their lack of diligence?"

"What's with women and their attitudes?" Leon retorted.

I giggled. _Some things never change, for goodness sake they bicker like siblings. _"I'm gonna miss you two..." I said sadly.

Leon wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Hey now, we can talk anytime you want to. They have cell coverage there... I think."

I pouted. "Leon!"

"Relax, I'm just teasing!" he said with a grin. "Of course we're going to miss you. But you should be excited about going! Some new scenery could do well for you!"

I nodded quietly, a low sigh escaped me as I begun to fiddle with my fingers on my lap. "Um... I need to talk to you guys... about what's been going on lately."

Claire took a sip of water. "Is this about Helena's sister?" she asked calmly. I gave her a wide eyed look and she shook her head. "Steve told me about it. He also told me about how you all held up a hospital trying to save her." I shrank under her stern gaze. "Sherry, you've gotta be more careful - all of you need to be. I don't know Simmons that well but I've seen him at a few meetings with my group TerraSave and he's got scary eyes. I don't trust him and neither should you – in fact, avoiding him whenever he's nearby is your best bet."

Leon spoke up next. "Okay, I have a question about every single statement you just made, Claire. First, isn't Helena the girl who dressed as Hermione on Halloween?" we nodded to him. "What happened to her sister?"

"No one really knows what's going on..." I replied in a mousy tone. "She was badly injured, there was some investigation, something went wrong and next thing we knew we were trying to save her from Simmons and he pulled the plug on her." I choked a bit. "She's... gone now. The hospital informed us."

"Damn, I'm sorry to hear that." Leon said and then his tone changed. "But taking siege to a hospital is insane, Sherry," he fussed. "You could have been arrested or worse you could have gotten hurt!"

"That's... actually what I wanted to talk to you about, but first I have a question Leon." he tilted his head curiously at me, obviously still upset about what he heard about me. "Um, I've heard some things about a string of crimes involving women turning up in odd places badly beaten and I was wondering -"

"You're wondering would I suspect what happened to Helena's sister could be related to it?" he interrupted, he started circling the top of his glass of water with his index finger.

"Well, yes but there was more to it than that." I added.

"I'm going to need more information about what happened to her." he said.

Claire studied us, concern etched on her pretty face. "A string of crimes? I thought you said there were only a few minor incidents, Leon."

"They've increased dramatically over the past few weeks." he said slowly, his eyes closed as his grip tightened on the cup.

"So... you and Ada really are here to solve this right?" I asked, debating should I take his glass from him.

He nodded slowly and I felt fear inside me. "I see Jake told you about that. Originally we were supposed to investigate the disappearance of some of the girls but now the case has taken a devastating turn for the worst. I have to say that you going to another location during this time is a stroke of good luck, Sherry."

"What about Claire?" I asked sending her worried look.

She shook her head and gave me a small smile. "Don't worry about me. Ever since Leon realized he and Ada would be staying here longer for the case, I offered them to stay with me. Besides, Steve has people following me everywhere I go so if anything happened they would jump to my rescue. I didn't understand his motives at first but now I guess I do."

"Does that really make you feel safe?" I pressed in a whisper. I couldn't stomach anything happening to her.

"Ada and I usually walk her wherever she needs to go anyway. If not us, then that Steve guy escorts her. In fact, while we made our way here there were quite a few suspicious men that caught my attention." Leon said a little humored. "I'm trained to recognize these guys so that's how I could tell. Don't worry, Claire's in good hands - you need to make sure you play smart about your safety too. Jake promised me he would look after you, I hope you're not giving him any trouble like you give us."

I felt a bit nauseous. "Jake is passionate about protecting me... but I've been so adamant about proving myself useful and being strong enough to fight my own battles that I've made some bad moves lately - like with the hospital thing." I sighed. "I know I'm being crazy but I'm a bit clueless as to why I keep doing it."

"It's because you've been sheltered and well protected all your life." Claire answered and Leon gave her statement a nod. "You feel scared that if you aren't excelling in life or if you come across as weak then you will be put back into solitude."

"Claire's right," Leon added. "Sherry, you need to realize something - that life of punishment for failure was the old life you had. No one is going to shun you for being human and needing help out here. We all support you and want to keep you safe and happy - trust us, no one is going to put you away ever again and don't attribute the road to self-fulfillment as being a quick and lonely one – it takes time to reach goals and everyone needs help to get there."

"Exactly! Even Leon and I needed little extra pushes to become who we are now." Claire said. "Believe it or not, because of the success I achieved by bringing you into a happier place in your life – I joined TerraSave so I could do the same for others and share your story with them. Leon even became an agent for the government for the very same reasons. We owe it to you that we've reached this far."

"Took us 30 years…" Leon added in a dry tone. I giggled at his dry humor.

Claire agreed with him by groaning softly to herself [which is odd because she's like 28 or 29], and then she continued. "So take your time, Sherry. The world spins day by day and you need to progress that way - not second by second. Remember, the events we endure over our journeys are what make the results more rewarding." Claire reached over and took my hand to give it a comforting squeeze. "You understand sweetheart?"

I nodded, a bright smile came to my face. _These are my real parents. They're the ones I know love me no matter what. I need to remember that more often. _"Thanks - both of you." I turned to Leon. "I'll be sure to keep your words in mind every day… but now I have a favor to ask..."

"Sure kiddo, what is it?"

"Since you and Ada are working this case, do you think you could speak with Helena? She has a lot of answers and facts about this case that could be of good use for you. Piers too - he also noticed the link."

"Let me get this straight, I'd be investigating the attack Helena's sister suffered, not how she died?"

I nodded. "Her death is a lot more complicated but I don't know - maybe that's linked to it too... Just please help her."

"I will." he said with a smile and I hugged him.

"You be sure to take care of yourself too, Sherry." Claire said. "Oh, um, wasn't there something else you wanted to tell us? Something about the hospital, I think?"

I scrunched up my face in thought then a light bulb went off. "It wasn't about the hospital, it was about me... and it's something very... odd. When I tell you this, you must promise to keep it a secret and please don't laugh at me." I begged meekly.

They shot each other a look before their gaze met me again, they nodded and waited for me to continue.

I took a deep breath and faced my lap. "I... can _heal_ people." it was quiet and I was too nervous to look up. "Not only that but I can... _heal _myself."

The silence stretched on for a long moment. I was praying they believed me and didn't think I was a freak. They were the two people I thought of as parents which hopefully meant they accepted me no matter what.

"Sherry -"

"Please don't think I'm a freak!" I cried, covering my face with my palms.

"We don't think you're a freak, Sherry." Claire said, I heard her stand up and come over to sit on the couch beside me while Leon remained on my right side. She wrapped her arms around me and I felt her kiss my hair. "We uh... we already knew about your powers."

_Wait... what? _I looked up and glanced back and forth between the two with my tear soaked eyes. "W-What do you mean you already knew?"

Leon placed a hand on my shoulder. "You're parents told us the day you decided to move in with Claire..."

I gasped. "So... they knew about my abilities and never told me?" I felt numb... "Wha-What else did they say?"

"Some things are better off left unknown." Claire answered with a shake of her head. "Anyway, we realized they weren't joshing around after how significant your presence became in my house. I never got sick and the icing on the cake for me was when Chris was sick as a dog one day and came over so I could look after him. You walked into the room and a moment later his fit of coughs stopped altogether."

Leon smiled and agreed with her. "All those times you came over to help me get over a cold and I was better by the next day, you're a living breathing remedy, Sherry."

I didn't know what to say or what to think at first. I just stared at them. "Why didn't you guys tell me?"

"Because we knew you'd start going on and on about how big of a freak you are." they answered in union.

I blushed, embarrassed. "I... wonder why I am this way, or what else am I able to do..." I said softly, playing with my fingers.

"Unfortunately, you may not want to hear this, Sher but I think if you truly want answers about yourself or if you truly want to move on past this, you're gonna have to confront your parents eventually." said Claire.

"What?!" I shrieked. "Why? They were so terrible to me..."

"That's just it, Sherry." Leon started, rubbing my shoulder. "Who's to say your parents don't hold all the answers to your abilities? For that matter, now that you're older, you may be able to get some answers from them about why they locked you away - there's no possible good reason but you could benefit from it... maybe it had something to do with your powers?"

"Leon's right Sherry, it may suck but I believe all the answers about your past can be answered by them one day. They are the key to you moving forward."

I thought about their words and decided I would consider them some time down the line. I would take my time with it and see if I could handle seeing my parents or even dealing with them - but I would do it when I was ready to. I would take Claire and Leon's advice and take a steady path, the future would provide me with an answer eventually.

The rest of the time I spent with Leon and Claire was absolutely pleasant. We ate the snacks I placed out, exchanged stories and laughed at the pictures and facts Claire brought up about Finland on her cell phone's web browser. I fancied I would use the computer in the music room/art gallery later to plan my packing.

As they readied themselves to leave, I gave them hugs and kisses, promising to call them every day when I arrived in Finland.

* * *

I stood in the kitchen, stirring up some warm chili as I waited for Jake and Mar to return from the grocery store and deli. I had to prepare dinner so I wasn't able to go run the few errands and luckily Jake didn't mind [well after I begged him over and over to which he had no choice but to concede]. Mar tagged along with him, most likely so he could beg for sweets and cereal.

The two had called me three times since they went, each time because Jake was a lousy shopper and refused to give Mar any treats. In the end, Mar was winning the war between them because he was a better shopper than Jake - then again, Mar had the list in the first place and wouldn't give it to Jake. Worse, I heard Mar was adding things to it with a crayon.

Cute kid. Very devious.

The doorbell rang and I removed the spoon from the pot of chili to sit it on the counter nearby. I came from the kitchen, removing my hairnet and apron as I walked. I looked through the peephole and my eyes widened as I recognized two familiar brunettes. I opened the door and greeted Piers and Helena, allowing them entry.

"Hey, you two!" I said cheerfully. "Come in, I was just finishing up dinner. Can I get you anything?"

"Actually I'm not staying," Piers said. "I have some business to deal with and I was just hoping you guys didn't mind Helena staying here for a while." he wrapped his arm around her.

"No, it's not a problem." I said. "Jake's not here right now but I'm sure he won't mind." I observed that Helena didn't hold her usual blank faced countenance. She was wearing her long chocolate tresses in a ponytail and looked quite tired with the small dark circles forming under her eyes.

"Great, thanks Sher." he pulled Helena into his arms and gave her a warm hug. I was squealing inside when I saw her wrap her arms around his middle and return the gesture. He kissed her forehead and hair before encasing her face. "I'll be back later sweetheart, I promise - okay?"

"Yeah..." she breathed and hugged him once more before they pulled apart.

When she turned to me I smiled and motioned her towards the kitchen. "I'll be there in a second." I said softly as I took her jacket from her. She sent me a nod and started that way.

Piers opened the door to leave as I hung Helena's coat in the front closet. "Take care of her and please don't bring_ it _up unless she does. It helps her to talk about it when the feelings hit her but not otherwise."

I nodded in understanding. "Okay, you be careful out there." I said walking up to shut the door behind him. "And don't worry, she's in good hands."

He sent me a warm smile and made his way to his car. I waved to him as he pulled off and shut the door afterwards.

I walked to the kitchen, Helena was staring out the back windows while she sat on the stools behind the island countertop. I put my hairnet and apron back on to finish tending to the chili. She glanced in my direction and I sent her a smile before I went to the sink to wash my hands.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked her. "Some ice water - or maybe a soda?"

"You got any beer?" she responded with a dry sort of humor.

I giggled a bit. "I'll check and see if Jake brought a few up here from the basement." as I moved to the fridge she stopped me.

"I was just teasing, I don't need any more to drink. I'll be a drunk in no time if I drink anymore today." she said and leaned her head onto her hand, her elbow on the counter. "I'll just watch you cook."

I cracked a small smile to her and then turned my attention to the pot on the stove. I turned the fire down and begun digging through the cabinets for another pan. I filled one with water and set it to boil over the stove.

"What are you making?" she asked me.

"Chili but I'm giving everyone the option to eat either rice with theirs or some crackers and toasted garlic bread." I felt my stomach growl just talking about it. I was famished.

"That sounds really good." she commented.

I smiled at her. "You're free to eat some too. I've made plenty."

"Thanks... I honestly haven't eaten much of anything today. Just some cereal and a cheese sandwich that Piers tried to shove down my throat."

"I believe you." I giggled. "If food is an issue I could prepare a few meals for you to eat before we leave in the next few days - if you want me to, I mean."

"Nah, I can cook but I..." she sighed. "I'm just not really feeling up to eating anything unless I'm starved. It's not easy right now... but thanks Sherry."

I nodded to her. "Not a problem and I understand..." I turned back to my dinner prep and pulled a loaf of garlic bread from the freezer to stick it in the old-fashioned oven.

"Do you have any sisters or brothers?" she asked me suddenly. I bit my lip and looked to her, shaking my head. "Count yourself lucky, siblings are nothing but trouble, especially if you're the oldest and feel obligated to protect the younger sib. Whenever something happens to them you just... you blame yourself."

I listened to her while I made sure dinner was progressing.

"Everyone's always telling me I did nothing wrong and there was nothing I could have done but I don't agree with that. I knew I should have picked her up from school or walked her there... but when Piers said she refused his offer to take her I figured she had her reasons for wanting to be alone - she didn't wake me that morning… usually she did."

Helena's eyes stared off into nowhere as she spoke. "She was always such a happy girl, so fun and silly. She knew how to get everyone excited. The only thing she did wrong in her life was getting mixed up with Peter." she shook her head disgusted. "I tried so hard to get her away from him but she never listened. I was always being overprotective or just too cautious in her opinion - but I didn't trust him."

"I can recognize a bad man when I see him and Peter reminded me so much of Simmons with his fake concerns and false sense of pride within himself. And then to hear that Peter was putting her through almost the same thing Simmons was... it just makes me sick to even think about it."

_Almost the same thing? Wait... is she saying -_

"It may not come as much of a surprise to you, Sherry but... Simmons abused my sister and I. At first he just beat us but then I started noticing that Deborah was being kept home from school some days while he was sending me every single day. One day I got sick at school and I was being walked home by one of these dudes I was in a gang with... it was early summer, the school year was almost over - Jake was away with his dad on some business trip so I just walked with this guy instead."

"We split in front of my house and I started up the steps when I heard some weird noises..." I could see tears pooling in her eyes. I grabbed a paper towel and handed it to her before I sat next to her.

The bread and chili was finished, all that was left was the rice which was boiling currently on a low temperature.

She wiped at her eyes and sniffed. "I... I peeked through the window and saw him... The sick bastard was _prostituting_ her!" she started to cry into her clenched fists. I wrapped my arms around her, stroking her hair to calm her some.

_Simmons just gets sicker and sicker._

"T-The guy she was with stopped once he heard me scream and Simmons demanded I come in the house but I ran to tell someone... The nearest neighbor we had was yards away, we were in such an isolated spot - just so he could abuse and neglect us. While I was running, I tripped and fell onto my face - bust my nose open and when he caught up to me he kicked me over and over until I was barely unconscious. Then he brought me back to the house and threw me into my room where I stayed."

"A long time passed before a doctor showed up. His name was George Hamilton - he was more than aware of the abuse we were suffering so when I turned 18 he offered me enough money to move out and take Deborah with me. I jumped at that opportunity. Later I found out that George was the one in charge of the insurance money my parents left behind and he gave it to me to make a start for ourselves. So once I got the money, we moved here to London."

"W-wait... Simmons isn't your real father?"

She shook her head. "Thank God, he's way too fucked up to have his own kids and I feel sorry for any woman who would date a sick fuck like him. Deborah was 14 when he started using her - he's sick." I nodded agreeing with her. "Simmons adopted Deborah and me when my parents were killed in action - they were in the CIA so God knows what happened to them..."

"He adopted us after my parents died, it was a year after Piers moved away. Our parents weren't around much due to their job so I took care of Deborah all my life, I protected her. Piers would always come around and give support so Deborah was really fond of him - imagine how much it hurt to tell her that he was gone and then a few short months later our parents were dead."

"We stayed with family, jumping uncles to cousins - it was too much. Then for Simmons to show up and promise we were going to be in good hands with him, it just seemed like a godsend. Unfortunately, the cruel reality set in the moment he cut us off from society and started beating us. When I didn't get any news from Piers, I thought he stopped caring about me..."

_So that's why Piers stopped getting replies from her. Could Simmons have gotten in the way of them...?_

"Three years of merciless abuse was too much for Debbie..." she whispered. "It wasn't easy for me either. I started to distrust men, she started to make poor choices with them. I started dating girls, she started doing drugs... It's like no matter what we were just bound to be screwed up. No matter what I did, I always seemed to fail her. I couldn't protect her... and now she's gone."

I stood up to stir the rice and turn the stove off. I returned to hug her afterwards. "He just had her life ended like she meant nothing to no one..." she cried onto my shoulder. "She was all I had! She was my little sister, the remainder of the family I had as a child - when we were happy! ...And now she's gone and I'm alone. Maybe I deserve this for being a bad sister... maybe I'm being punished for everything I've done."

"Shh..." I rubbed her back soothingly, rocking her back and forth. "It's okay… you're not alone, Helena. You're never alone."

"Sherry, Debbie's _dead _- I have **no one** left…" she pulled away from me and moved towards the windows along the back. "You don't have siblings... You don't know this pain." she said dolefully.

_She's right, I don't. I never had anyone to care for growing up... But I recognize this fear she has... she's afraid she's going to be alone - that because she couldn't protect Deborah that means she has no one to be beside her. She thinks she needs to protect another to feel important and to have a meaning to her life. But she doesn't have to keep fighting like this - she needs to find peace - something else from her happier times that made her feel good._

_Jake was there for her throughout her ordeal with Simmons, they shared the same pain of feeling like they had no one and they made sacrifices to protect someone they love, holding all that responsibility on their shoulders. _

_She also has Piers - someone I know is aware of her pain. He's wants to show her that she's never going to be alone and that she actually does have a chance at happiness._

"You're right," I started softly. "I can't even begin to understand the pain you feel from losing your sister, but you are not alone, Helena." I stepped closer to her slowly. "It's true, no one in the world can take her place in your heart. She was a sister, someone you grew up with who was beside you whenever you needed motivation to keep moving forward. But, there are others who were there too, right?"

She shot me a look of curiosity and irritation. "It was always me and her, no one else Sherry."

"What about Jake? He was about the same age as Deborah right? He's a guy who's stuck by your side through thick and thin. He told me about how much trouble you two would get in, how much fun you two had together - he even explained that _pig_-related nickname."

I heard her snort back a laugh but she couldn't hold it in much. She sniffed. "That big ginger-haired loser."

I smiled and moved a bit closer. "He cares a tremendous amount for you. Whenever you're upset, it bothers him. You're like his big sister, he always tries to help you whenever you need him. That _big ginger haired loser _knows the pain you endured from Simmons and how much you went through with Deborah because he understands your anguish. He stuck by you, fought for you and her - kicked Peter's butt a lot too from what I heard."

"Yeah... he's always there when I need him. Little brat." she sniffed. "I still remember when he was shorter than me."

I giggled and neared her. "It sounds to me like he's a _guy_ that you can trust, as well as another sibling for you to keep an eye on."

She looked over her shoulder at me. "I don't know… I guess."

We faced each other and I took both of her hands. "There's one more guy that you have in your life that also knows who you are and stands beside you no matter what has happened." she bit her lip. "Piers." I saw her start to tear up. "You still have Piers, Helena - the guy you grew up with who was there to share those experiences with both of you - during the times when you and Deborah were happy. All of those memories you have of her back then - he can share them with you and he will, because while the two of you were torn apart before and he's never going to leave you again - he's here for you until the end."

She tried frantically to wipe her tears away. "You sound just like her." I raised my brows. "When Piers showed up again she was so happy to see him. She still called him brother and teased about our relationship. I denied us to her every time and she just kept telling me that I was being a fool because now that he's back he's never gonna leave me again. She said we finally were happy again... and we were."

"She told me over and over to give him a chance and so I've... been trying to. She always told me that he would come back but I didn't believe her because the letters stopped coming."

"Piers said he wrote to you very often but he never got any from you." I said gently.

"So... Simmons is to blame for that then." she confirmed before letting out a huff. "I know you're right Sherry but it's hard to accept this."

"It takes time." I told her kindly. "Just know that Simmons can't hurt you anymore."

"But he had Deborah killed. I want him to pay for what he's done." she growled. "I want him to pay for everything he's put us through. I want to expose him for the monster that he is... If only there was something I could do."

I smiled. "You remember the guy from the Halloween party wearing that pirate costume, he was with the Chinese ghost lady?" she raised her brow at me but nodded. "That's Leon, he's been a like father for me ever since I was 18. Like you, I was cut off from society but he and Claire saved me from it. Leon's an agent from the U.S and he's here to investigate the murders going on around here. I told him about Deborah and he would love to learn more information so he could be of help to you."

I put my hands on her shoulders. "Trust me when I tell you, Leon's a hero. He always comes through no matter what. He's a guy I swear to you is trustworthy."

"And he can help me figure out what happened to Deborah?" she asked anxiously.

"He'll do his best," I assured. "I'll give you his number and you can tell him everything. He and his partner Ada take down bad guys all the time and if Simmons is involved in what happened to Deborah then he will be brought down. Oh, and if you need moral support, Claire's a great option!"

She chuckled lightly. "Thanks, that makes me feel so much better. I just feel like the police aren't doing enough. If this Leon guy is as good as you say I believe you. Piers and I will tell him everything, we'll even help him solve this if we can."

I gave her a hug. "Don't worry, whoever did this won't get away with it."

She nodded and gave me a smile. "You know, Jake's right - you're cuteness conceals that fight in you." she pinched my cheek and I just laughed. "He's also told me how easy it is to feel at ease when you're around - might be your powers though, isn't?"

_I wonder who else knows of my abilities..._

"We're back!"

We were startled by the loud introduction Mar made as he came racing into the kitchen. I burst into a fit of laughter because he was carrying a cereal box, a bag full of starburst candy and he dragged a pack of sodas behind him. He looked like the sugar monster or something as he raced over and gave me a hug and doing the same for Helena.

Jake came in afterwards and placed five big bags onto the counter. "Something smells fucking delightful." We laughed at him and he raised a brow upon noticing us. "Hey Supergirl, Babe what's up? You doin' alright?"

"Actually I'm feeling... pretty good." she said walking up to him. "Thanks to your Supergirl here."

"Oh, what she do?" he asked observing me. I picked up Mar and removed the items he had from his grasp to place them on the counter.

"She's given me a bit of hope that some justice will be done for Debbie. I just hope this Leon's as good as she claims he is - though with how passionately she speaks of him, I don't have many doubts."

Jake's brows elevated before he smirked at me. "So you told her he's on the case?"

I nodded. "I even told him about her. He's willing to help her catch whoever's involved and if it's you-know-who, you can bet Leon will find out. I also offered Claire's support but she might get aggressively emotional..." I giggled.

"Way to go, Supergirl." he said with a smile.

I felt giddy inside. "Never a problem." I noticed Mar was hovering by the pot of chili, just staring at it lustfully. I clapped with a bright smile. "Well - let's put these groceries away so we can finally eat!"

* * *

"M-Mom?"

Jake's surprise caught me off guard too. We had just put Marlowe to bed for the night, I'd shut the door with a quiet click and suddenly he's wide eyed. I followed his gaze and smiled as Mrs. Stephanie walked up to us and offered us a warm hug.

Jake was completely stunned. His mouth hung open slightly as he watched her do a spin in front of him. I giggled at her behavior, she was good at making Jake be thrown for a loop.

"You seem surprised, Jake." she said obviously humored. "You don't want your mother to get better for the coming trip?"

"Yeah but wow, it's been a while since I've seen you walking around." Jake said with a concern expression. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

She nodded. "I'll be fine, Jake. Rebecca won't be able to come along this year because of her fiancé and her making plans elsewhere. I want to remain stress less for this so there aren't any incidents without her around to help me." she said softly.

"I arranged for another caregiver to look after ya mom so no worries." Jake said with a smile. "Her name is Alexia Ashford, I met her back when I used to do merc work and she's always been dependable."

Mrs. Stephanie nodded. "Okay, if you trust her then I will too, but don't worry - I'll be fine. Rebecca has been helping me do a lot more than you think. Isn't that right, Sherry?"

I giggled and gave Jake an affirming nod. "She's been up and down stairs and walking around more often."

Jake looked conflicted but conceded, giving her another hug. "I'm glad you're doing okay, mom."

After she retreated back to her room for the night, Jake and I started down the stairs to call it a night. Jake took my hand when we reached the bottom. "Sherry, come with me." he said, leading me towards the double doors to the formal dining room.

"Where are we going?" I asked softly as we passed through the room and into the music room/art gallery.

Jake sat down in front of the grand piano and offered me to sit beside him. "Jake, wait - Mar's asleep, you can't play right now." I said taking his hands.

"I wasn't going to, I just wanted to sit here because of the quiet, different scenery. We don't come here often." he replied, wrapping his arms around me. "You wouldn't want me to play for you?"

I smiled warmly to him, cupping his face in my small hands. "I'd love for you to, but I'm just a little worried about waking the little one."

"That's alright, would you mind me telling you something important?"

"Not at all." I cooed to him sweetly.

"Sherry, I don't wanna make you feel like we're rushing or anything, I just want you to be happy and I can take any decision you decide. No matter what, I'm gonna be here for you because you mean a lot to me - you understand?"

I nodded, my smile widening. "Jake, I've been through quite a bit with you lately and even though it's only been a short while, I feel like you and I have a very strong connection. You're the first man I've ever been with, both friendship wise, romantically and... _intimately_." I fought the heat coming to my face.

I wasn't even sure if I was really rushing our relationship anymore. I couldn't ignore the connection I felt with him. Jake accepted me for everything I was - my powers, my past, my flaws and all. I would attribute our relationship as a strong bond that was tough and romantic because there wasn't anyone else in the world that understood us like we did for each other.

The two of us [along with Marlowe] were people all our own and that's why we got so close so quickly. The future would take us where it wanted. I wasn't going to concentrate on a future marriage at such an early stage in our relationship, I wasn't going to focus on anything except the present and right now, I was happy to be his girlfriend and I would be more than just pleased to make that title official – even if it was a façade as far as Mr. Wesker was concerned.

It would be the real deal for us.

"I... I really think I like the idea of being your consort - err _girlfriend_ - officially. If time permits it and things go well between us, I don't feel frightened by possible marriage in the future because I know we'll take our time and move in union for everything. We've done that since we've gotten together, you've never rushed me into anything and I thank you for your patience with me. Right now I'm comfortable with just keeping things as they are with us being girlfriend and boyfriend so I hope you're okay with me accepting this proposal from your father."

"You sure about this?" Jake asked quietly. "Your future is in my hands, Supergirl."

I took in some air. "I know you won't let anything happen to me and I promise I won't do anything to cause you problems. I'm done being so careless, I'm comfortable being loyal to my responsibilities and I will not overstep my bounds again – unless you or your dad tell me to."

I gave his hand a tight squeeze. "I'd be more than happy to belong to you and be under your care. After all, isn't that what you said before? You'd be my master so long as I belong to you and only you?"

Jake chuckled aloud, I joined him. "Funny, the irony here is too weird." he kissed my cheek. "Thanks, baby girl. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

We hugged.

* * *

A few days later I was on another plane, only this time I was with the entire Wesker family as we made our way to Finland.

We were headed for a new home, a new adventure, a new world but I knew that we would return to London eventually.

Until that day, I would relish in the surprise and excitement that was coming my way.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 14 is finally complete! Yosh! Hope you enjoyed it because there's going to be a time skip coming up in the next three chaps or so - not sure, it depends on how everything flows. This is a pretty long fic so far that I have planned I'm estimating it extends to between 25 - 30 chapters.

The reason I chose for the family to go to Finland is because of Jake and Sherry's Chapter 2 scenario. I know they're supposed to be in an area kind of like Serbia (because the j'avo in Edonia speak Serbian) but I've got other ideas for Edonia in this fic so Serbia will show up at that time. Meanwhile, Finaland is beautiful and perfect for them to visit in winter [It's also very, very cold... ].

Another reason is because they're zooming in on Christmas and Finland (well Lapland) is Santa Claus' place of residence so it's a gift for little Marlowe. XD I can't wait to get to that chapter but first comes the bonus chapter...

Next chapter is going to be a BONUS chap told in third person and focus on some relevations of Helena and Piers with some Ada, Leon, Claire and a few more involved. If this works out I may do a few more for them at random moments but it depends.

**ALSO EPIC NEWS!** (At least I think...)

I'm working on a short fic (3 - 5 chaps long) and it's another JakexSherry. It's definitely going to be cute so I hope you all will check it out when I upload it.

It's about Jake and Sherry from elementary to high school - how they go from best friends, to enemies, to confused and finally something special.

I'm not discontinuing this fic [I'm definitely finishing it] but the new fic will go along with this one so expect that I will update each back to back or something lol depends on how the day goes. :D

Any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know! Thanks for all the reviews, favs and alerts - you're motivating me a TON. Don't forget to R&R and I will be seeing you guys/girls soon!

-Vio


	15. Piers & Helena

Bonus Chapter:

* * *

Helena entered Piers apartment first, he trailed in quietly behind her. She hung her coat in the front closet, removed her boots wet from rain water and made a tired stride towards the blue couch near the window. Piers sent her a smile and walked farther into the home with plans to make some nice hot tea to warm their chilled bodies.

Piers' apartment was very spacious and comfortable for Helena's tastes with the scent of morning rain lingering through the air and the color scheme consisting of shades of blue and green.

The first room inside the home was the living room, it took over a large portion of the place. There was balcony a few feet past the living room accessible by twin glass sliding doors. The dining room area was after that, a glass table and comfy chairs surrounded it and other items of good taste decorated the space. There was a narrow hall to the left of that area that was to the kitchen.

There was a flight of stairs opposite the living room, they led directly into Piers' bedroom and a narrow hall led to the bathroom.

In the living room the floors were covered with a plush carpet, there was a loveseat, armchair and an L-shaped sofa all made of microfiber material surrounding the small wooden coffee table in the center.

His place was neat and tidy but not tediously so.

Helena stared out the window, they were on the 12 floor and she could see out into the cloudy city as the rain cascaded quietly from the sky. She was really starting to hate the rain. Here she was trying to find a way to not sink into a debilitating depression and the weather wasn't helping her.

It was closing in on a month since her sister had died and she felt like her entire body was going numb now. Her sister was attacked and barbarically left to die, then she was hospitalized, then comatose and finally her life was ended before she could even say goodbye. She couldn't cry anymore and she knew that getting angry wouldn't help her - but that's just how she felt, _angry_.

She and Piers had just returned from meeting with an attorney of Simmons and Helena felt like her head was going to split from the frustration, confusion and rage she was feeling - there was just too much crazy happening!

It was as if Simmons was just fully intent on torturing her by separating her from her sister, even with her being deceased she was still unable to do anything to see her… and to think the man would as far as to have her cremated without consulting her. It was mind-blowing!

"How could he do this...?" she wondered aloud, choking back bitter tears. _Why did he have so much power over her life? He's not even a blood relative - I've been her guardian recently. _She thought to herself. _And then to find out there won't even be a funeral...?! This is all too much. Gods I hate him with every fiber of my being. Why can't he just get a stroke and kill over already?!_

She pounded her fist onto the couch in frustration, releasing a growl shortly afterwards. "Gods, why? I hate him! ...I'm so sorry Debbie... I couldn't protect you." the tears she thought she didn't have any more streamed from her eyes and her heart hurt.

"You did everything you could while she was here, Helena." Piers said startling her. She saw he was holding two cups of warm tea on saucers. He smiled warmly and sat beside her once he placed the tea on the table in front of them. "This isn't the end, remember that. There's still plenty more to be done to give her peace... as well as yourself."

Helena nodded, wiping at her tears. "You're right..."

Piers smiled and offered a cup which she accepted graciously. "I just wish you could understand that you're not alone and that I'm going to help you - and hopefully this Leon guy will be helpful too."

Helena bit her lip when she thought of her conversation with the blonde agent over the phone. She'd only met him once and that was during a party - so even though Jake and Sherry spoke fondly of him, she wasn't sure she would be convinced until she saw his finesse with her own two eyes.

"I'm trying Piers, really I am." she said after taking a nice sip of the warm liquid. "It's just I'm so used to fighting my own battles that the idea of seeking help or receiving it is awkward..."

"I know, trust me it's something I've always loved about you." this made her smile and it brought a little ease to him to see her brighten up some.

Piers understood Helena's anger completely, he felt the same way after learning of what Simmons had done to Deborah. It was disgraceful that Simmons would have Deborah cremated without even consulting Helena beforehand. He didn't even ask if she wanted to hold a funeral for her or not - he just acted and that was the end of it.

The former BSAA member was baffled by it all. Here was Helena, the blood sister and relative of the deceased and yet she wasn't allowed to do anything. She had no control over her sister's life or death but Simmons had all the power in the world it seemed. It was suspicious and completely unnerving.

He was anxious to see what Leon had to offer to help the girl he adored.

"What gives him the right to do what he does?" Helena asked bitterly as she gripped her cup tighter. "Who the hell does he think he is - and for that matter, why the hell isn't anyone trying to stop him but you and I?"

Piers frowned as his thoughts began to wonder. "I'm not sure, but you better believe I'll help you in every way possible to figure this out. In the meantime, let's just wait for Leon to get here."

Helena agreed with him. She saw him beckoning her closer and she slowly did just that, snuggling into his muscular chest and inhaling his earthly scent, maybe pine trees - she liked it a lot.

It wasn't extremely easy for her to come to him of her own accord because giving affection was not something she was used to, lucky for her Piers was a hopeless romantic. Even better was that he never bothered her about it. He let her come to him when she was comfortable, other times he just initiated their contact and she was fine with that.

"You're such a softy." she stated in a dry tone.

He just chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. "One of us has to be I guess, we can't both be difficult - otherwise I'd never get to do _this_..."

Piers hand lifted her chin gently so that their eyes met, in a swift move his lips touched hers. Helena blushed furiously and tried to pull away in her awkward attempt to keep her tough-girl image but she couldn't resist her teddy bear of a boyfriend and eventually gave into him.

The two brunettes held each other tightly as their kiss intensified. Piers' heart was racing in his chest, he loved Helena with everything he had and he just relished every moment he got to be close to her. Sure, she would call him a big softy or a pansy but he didn't care, he knew she loved him too but just was unsure how to express herself.

He pulled her into his lap, her arms came around his neck and his around her waist. Helena felt feverish suddenly, she wondered what it was about this man that just made her weak to her knees. Her fingers traveled up to his short, soft brown locks of hair so she could massage his scalp.

Piers lips left hers and he started down her neck, she shivered - enjoying those magical lips of his, he sent her into another world with them. She had kissed a few girls in her lifetime but never any guys, she had no idea if all guys were like this but Piers was definitely good at getting a reaction out of her quicker than any girl.

She took his hands and placed them on her large bust encouraging him to squeeze them. He was shy whenever she did this because he didn't want to give her a bad impression - he didn't want her for her curves and beauty, he loved her strength.

_But should she want me to perform I will certainly do so. _He thought to himself giving her soft heavy mounds another squeeze.

Helena was pleased with his response, she shifted so she could straddle him but in the process she kicked over the cup of her forgotten tea. The two broke apart and she quickly picked the cup up and began to frantically search for something to dry the liquid before it reached the plush carpet.

"Shit - sorry..." she said quickly, her eyes darting everywhere as she slipped away from him, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

Piers shook his head, taking a few napkins to dry it. "No worries, it's just tea. I can worry about it later..." he reached for her once again and she backed away. He let out a huff and forced a smile onto his handsome face while internally fighting off the bulge between his legs. _Great, now she's fighting me off again. _He shook his head. _Well, I guess I'll just have to wait..._

Piers Nivans was the epitome of a gentleman.

"So... what now, Miss thing?" he said trying to break the ice. She had her arms folded and a cute pout on her glossy lips, he chuckled nervously expecting her to recall that he fondled her [even with her permission] and therefore strike him for his actions.

But she didn't.

She fidgeted suddenly, looking away from him with a slight flush on her cheeks. "That's it...?" Piers blinked innocently at her. "You're... not gonna force me back into your arms or something?"

Piers smiled warmly. "Nope," she looked offended at first until he laughed holding up his hands. "I wouldn't dare force you to do anything you didn't want to. I will only do what you tell me is okay."

The lovely brunette looked skeptical of her lover. "So if I told you I wanted to have sex with you right now... what would you do?"

Piers blushed. "Um... er, well you see - I uh..." he chuckled sheepishly once she began tapping her foot impatiently. He sighed to compose himself and took a nice deep breath. "I would first ask if you're sure you want to do that because I can't bring myself to do anything to you if you seem uncomfortable... or if you seem like you're under the influence of drugs…"

Helena hit him with one of the couch pillows. A second later she was laughing and so was he. "You are just cheesy!" she jumped on top of him to wrestle and they ended up rolling off the couch and onto the plush carpet.

Piers rolled on top of her. "Is that a good thing?" he asked with a grin.

Helena pouted and tried to push him off but he was too strong. "Shut up and get off me!"

He laughed and leaned his forehead against hers. "I meant what I said love... I won't push you into anything – ever."

She blushed and directed her eyes elsewhere. "S-Stop it, Piers..."

The older male stood up and pulled her with him. When Helena noticed him turning away, she stopped him and awkwardly kissed his cheek. "Thanks, _Pudding_."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, planting a sweet kiss on her forehead. "No problem."

"I wouldn't mind it."

"Hm?"

Helena buried her reddening face into his chest. "I wouldn't mind... doing _that_ with you."

His eyes widened and he encased her pretty face in his hands, he smiled. "Well it's entirely up to you. If you want us to take that step then just let me know - and above all else, make sure you're ready for it because I don't want to rush into anything."

She smirked and leaned into him. Being affectionate wasn't easy, but she could do sensual without much effort. "Are you sure you can handle me?"

Piers raised a brow once he realized she was baiting him. "Positive." he said simply.

She took his hand and made a start up the stairs to his bedroom. Something about this man just was irresistible and she wanted him. She hadn't been with a guy before but she was sure she could handle Piers. He was a gentle guy and though he could be aggressive when he wanted to be, she just knew he would let her lead and that made her feel comfortable.

There were a lot of thoughts running through Piers' head. He was ecstatic about being with Helena after all the close calls they'd been having. She was a very aggressive girl when it came to anything related to sex and he loved it whenever she made a move on him. They hadn't gone that extra mile yet but he _patiently_ waited for it.

He imagined her beneath him as she ran her fingers over his chiseled chest, her soft naked skin caressing his, her silky long legs wrapping around his waist as he stared into her beautiful hazel brown eyes - glazed over with desire as he slowly buried himself deep inside her again and again. Sweet moans would escape her and he'd just drive into her more, giving her every ounce of him until he filled her with his seed.

His pants were beyond tight now.

Poor Piers felt like a dirty, dirty boy. His thoughts were usually innocent and romantic involving him reading poetry to his girl before she kicked him for embarrassing her or him bringing her flowers and she would curse him out for thinking she was a girly girl – only to accept the flowers when no one was looking and offer him a quick peck on the cheek.

That was Piers Nivans, a gentleman with a thirst for romance.

Now that same man was harboring erotic fantasies of lustful conquests with the girl of his dreams. He was such a pervert when no one was paying attention, mostly towards Helena but he did it in subtle ways like hovering behind her if she bent over or pretending to be brushing his teeth while she was in the shower so he could peek.

Shameful, yes – but this was his secret fetish… admiring Helena. Some called it weird, others said he was normal. He felt it made him creepy – especially since she defined it that way too.

Okay so maybe it wasn't a secret considering she picked up on his obvious behaviors after the third day of spending the night.

But hell, she never stopped him.

As they entered the bedroom Helena suddenly felt her nerves kick in.

His room was clean and tidy like the rest of the flat. His bed was king sized and covered in white and periwinkle blue bed sheets. There was a soft carpet around the bed of the same color. He had a wooden dresser, nightstand and chest in the room and in the far corner there was a small desk in front of a window.

She had slept in his room many times but when she did he was nice enough to take the couch or the guest room down the hall from the kitchen so she would be comfortable. She liked his bed because she loved his smell and sleeping there brought her sweet dreams instead of helpless nightmares of all sorts.

Now knowing that she was about to have sex with him was making her shiver...

_Why am I so nervous? I've never been nervous about being with a girl but Piers just makes me feel so awkward and out of control... _She started to visibly tremble. _This happens every single time I try to be with him – I just flip out!_

"Helena? What's wrong?" Piers asked gently, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Why do you make me feel so weak?" she asked. "I feel so out of control and vulnerable... you just get to me and I don't know why."

Piers sighed, he knew she wasn't ready. _Well, there go my wet dreams again... _He picked her up and walked towards the bed, laying her there while he sat on the edge. "I know what you're feeling and I can assure you, it isn't weakness."

"I worry about you, I always want to be with you, and I feel safe with you..." she started to ramble, hugging one of his pillows to her full chest. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she groaned before smashing her face into the pillow.

"I love you, Helena."

She gasped staring at him with wide eyes. "Why are you saying that to me...?"

"Because it's the truth," Piers said so softly it was barely above a whisper. "Not a moment goes by when I don't think about you. I always want to be with you too, and I'm happy that you feel safe with me - because you are safe. I love you and I promise you I always will."

Helena hugged him tightly. "Thanks... I - Oh for God's sake!" she pulled away with a deep frown on her pretty face. Piers was completely taken aback by it and tried to think of ways to escape his temperamental girlfriend just in case she tried to strike him, though odds were she would catch him no matter what. "I'm gonna tell you this and you better keep it to yourself - do you understand me, Piers Nivans?" Piers nodded slowly, eyes wide for what was to come. "I...I love you too..." she whispered with a reddened face.

"What?" Piers leaned in closer so he could hear her.

Imagine his surprise when she pinned him to the bed and hovered over him. "Damn it I said _I love you_!" she shouted taking deep breaths after her outbursts.

A smile slowly came to Piers' handsome face. "I love you too."

"Promise me that you won't ever leave my side again."

"I swear it."

"Promise me that once we solve what happened to my sister that we'll... I don't know - move away, have kids and be happy somewhere!"

Piers chuckled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Last thing... promise me we'll grow old and die together."

"... Well, the heavens are in charge of that - " he saw her frown return and he laughed sheepishly. "Sure sweetheart, whatever makes you happy!"

She leaned down to kiss him again and his arms came up to wrap around her waist. Piers felt himself harden once more, she felt good on top of him. She was so soft he couldn't help but imagine her without her clothes, he wanted to run his fingers through her hair and suck on her tits while she rode on top of him.

_I really need a cold shower after this. I'm a dirty, dirty man... _He told himself, but for now he would bask in his girlfriend's rare display of affection.

Helena stuck her tongue into his mouth and moaned as their tongues stroked each other's in a slow gentle rhythm. She felt that warmth again and placed both of his hands on her buttocks while she grinded on top of his stiffening length.

She pulled her shirt off revealing her black strapless bra. Piers felt his mouth water, he could feel it - this time he was really about to feel this luscious babe and all of her glory connect with his body. He was going to be gentle with her for the moment but he had plans to top her when she needed an extra push.

Piers had never been with anyone either but he was ready for the experience to be with Helena. He was eager…

_He better not be thinking anything creepy. _Helena thought when she saw his reaction. She did love his obsession with her but sometimes it was beyond weird… still it was cute on him.

Her hand traveled inside his shirt and she felt those muscles she longed to for so long. He was so amazing, she wanted that article of clothing gone so she could lick him anywhere. To her shock, Piers removed it himself and then pulled her back down against him to finish kissing her.

A moment later her bra came off and her large breasts were on his chest, her nipples brushed over his and Piers fought hard to keep from moaning. Helena licked along his chin and towards his ear, Piers used one hand to caress the soft peachy skin on her back and the other squeezed at her ass cheeks as she continued to grind on him.

"Take this off." she commanded once she undid his belt buckle.

Piers didn't hesitate, his slid his jeans down to his ankles and kicked them to the floor. Helena placed his hands onto her own jeans implying for him to remove hers as well. He was beyond giddy now as he pulled them down as far as he could, she did the rest once she climbed off him. He watched her come back to straddle him with her black satin underwear still on.

They started to kiss again, Piers hands slid into her panties to cup her ass cheeks in his large palms. Helena gasped but began caressing his length through the fabric of his boxers. Piers hands came to her breasts, he squeezed them and gently pulled at her nipples. She was purring now, this was beyond anything she'd ever experienced.

She was sick of the foreplay now. She wanted to feel him inside her.

"Piers, please I want it so bad." she practically growled as she became aware of how wet she was, her panties were soaked.

Piers gave a weird noise in response, almost a perverted giggle. Helena thought it was just him being weird again but she'd rather just bang him for now and ponder everything else later. He started to pull his boxers down and she shifted her panties to one side. She had felt a certain _toy_ before... so she assumed this wouldn't hurt much.

The tip of his erection met her moist entrance.

Helena's cell phone rang.

The beautiful brunette sprang away from him and started half naked down the stairs to the living room where her phone was. "_Shit_ - that could be Leon!"

Piers laid there with a look of sheer disbelief. His left eye twitched once, and then twice...

_What just happened?! Gods, will I __**ever **__get the opportunity to lay with the woman of my dreams?! _He growled and sat up on the bed. He saw his manhood standing tall and throbbing painfully with need. _Maybe she'll return and say we have at __**least**__ four hours before they come... Yeah, it could happen right? _

"Piers," she came jogging back into the room still clad in only her panties, her phone in one hand. Piers fought off a groan because he saw her breasts bounce; he had his fingers crossed behind his back… "Leon and Ada will be here in thirty minutes." she put her phone on his dresser and began going through the bags of clothing she had placed in his closet. She'd brought them over with her earlier that week once she made it clear she didn't want to be at her own place. "I'm gonna get dressed."

_Fuck. My. Life. _Piers thought, his left eye twitched once more, and then again.

"I need a shower." He stated awkwardly, he was ready to pound his fists into the walls and roar curse words.

Once again, he would just have to **wait** for that sweet moment when he and Helena would become one... and wait... and **wait**.

Helena smirked at him, obviously amused. She liked seeing the usually well-groomed and genteel Piers looking so lascivious and disheveled. "Did you want to get in _together_?" She was more than aware of his 'need' but thirty minutes was not enough time for what she had planned for her lover. She eyed his impressive length and giggled when he sent her a look of mild irritation.

Piers scoffed as he stood pulling up his boxers. "I need an _ice_ _cold_ shower..."

"Of course you do... _Pudding_." she nearly died of laughter when he groaned.

* * *

Leon arrived right on time. Piers emerged from the bedroom dressed and as neat as always, smelling of fresh pine trees and wood. Helena opened the door for the agent to enter and Piers gestured him to the couch to have a seat.

The two were surprised to see Leon wasn't alone; he had brought a lady clad mostly in red along with him. She was familiar to them, they realized she was the woman with the jiangshi costume from the Halloween night – Ada Wong.

"Piers, Helena, you remember Ada? She was at the party as well." Leon spoke after shaking each of their hands.

The lovers nodded shaking the tall Chinese beauty's hand as well. "Nice to see you again." they said in union.

Ada smirked as she eyed Piers mischievously. "Last I saw you, you were on the verge of fainting from the little miss here." Piers blushed with a sheepish chuckle, Helena snickered to herself thinking how cute he was when it came to her outrageous behaviors. Ada must have been talking about when she gave him a lap dance.

Funny, later that day when they went home she offered to give him a hand job and he stiffly – awkwardly refused before passing out on the living room floor. He later blamed it on the alcohol but everyone knew he didn't drink much that night – he was just trying to keep up that look of honor and Helena loved rocking his conventional way of life.

"It is nice to see you're both doing alright considering how bad things have gotten." Ada stated as she pulled a notepad and pen from her black leather purse and waited patiently for the conversation to unfold. She would take the necessary notes this time since Leon's handwriting was like chicken scratch.

"It's a wonder why the police here in London haven't put out safety protocols or even issued warnings for the public to keep safe." Piers stated.

"They'd rather not even accept the possibility of a serial killer." Leon stated softly. "The idea of civil disorder over this is much too high. We're looking at over 20 girls murdered."

"_20_?!" the couple echoed in horror. "That's incredible, no - it's disturbing." Helena said stiffly.

"The kill count is actually above 20, it's 24 to be exact. 25 if you're sister is also connected." Ada said calmly, she sent Leon a look and he nodded to her. "Was your sister buried yet...? I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but we're going to need to have her body examined."

Helena gave Piers' hand a squeeze as she began to shake. Piers placed his other hand upon her back to soothe her. "She... was cremated." he answered in her place, the agents looked taken aback. "We had no control over it. Her once adoptive father, Derek C. Simmons did it. We weren't even contacted about it, he just had us meet with his lawyer earlier today where he informed us of what had occurred."

Ada sent Leon a look of pity, Leon sighed. "We're... sorry to learn that."

"I just don't get it." Helena spoke bitterly. "Why did he do this? Why would he go through all of this? She was my sister - I should have had some rights to her for God's sake! He just took over and I have no idea why..."

"There are a few things to possibly consider, so let's weigh the odds here. The first could be that he's trying to be a considerate of your feelings by not wanting to put you through the agony of dealing with your sister's death and instead taking action for you." Leon said thoughtfully.

Helena scoffed. "Simmons has always been a selfish piece of shit with no love for either of us. I highly doubt he was trying to do good for me - if anything I'm sure he's trying to hurt me even more by doing this."

"What would make you say that?" Leon asked curiously. Helena shook her head, she wasn't ready to talk about everything even though she knew she would end up doing just that.

"So, let's move on to the next possibility," Ada started. "Simmons could be trying to hide what happened to your sister to maintain his reputation and maybe hide his connections to you."

"That's plausible, but for what reason?" Helena asked.

"Is there something that would make him need to hide the two of you?" Leon pressed with a raised brow. He could tell by looking at Helena that she had a tough past with this Simmons guy. In all his years of being in law enforcement and becoming an agent, he'd become an expert at reading people and this lovely brunette was not as pokerfaced as she might think she is.

Piers frowned a bit. "Helena, you need to tell them what he put you and your sister through." Helena looked appalled by his words but he gave her hand another comforting squeeze. "They're here to help, so let's give them all the information they need."

"If you want our help, you're going to have to tell us everything." Leon said firmly. "We can't do much with secrets running around."

Helena lowered her gaze to her lap and then took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll tell you..."

Helena explained everything to them from her parents deaths to her being adopted by Simmons and picked up the nerve to tell them about what he did to Deborah when they were teenagers. By the time she was finished, Ada looked strangely calmer but there was fire within her piercing hazel eyes and Leon was visibly angered, even Piers who'd heard this story before was shaking with rage - he hated to hear of what his girlfriend had been through, it made him want to kill Simmons himself.

Ada gave Helena a blank stare, she just couldn't allow herself to become emotionally involved in any case, but she did truly feel sorry for this girl. "We're sorry to hear of your painful past with him, but thank you for sharing, Miss Harper."

Helena sniffed, wiping at her tears and nodding to the two. Piers wrapped his arms around her and buried her face into his chest. "It's okay, he can't hurt you anymore." he whispered into her hair. His gaze traveled to the quiet Leon whose eyes stared off at nothing in particular. "So, can you help us - can you help Helena get answers about her sister?"

Leon took a deep breath and intertwined his fingers, his elbows rested on his knees as his thoughts wandered. "I have a question, if you don't mind? Why didn't you tell anyone of what he was doing - after you moved out, I mean?"

"Because the damage was done." came Helena's answer, it was muffled by Piers' shirt but she was understandable. "Besides, Deborah wasn't his whore anymore, we were moving onto a new life without him... I just didn't expect her to still want to call him our father... I just had no clue."

"How can we be sure she wasn't still doing _that_ for him?"

All eyes traveled to the pale skinned agent beside Leon. She retained her cool countenance as they all shot her looks of bewilderment, shock and consideration. Ada hated to think a girl would let a man use her but her experience in the field showed her otherwise.

She worked as a spy majority of her career, going undercover while agents like Leon played her backup. Ada was used to being under pressure and facing the darker side of life, she didn't want to upset Helena but this was a plausible theory she was presenting to everyone.

"It's not easy to stomach, but we have to be honest here. You told us about her boyfriend, Peter prostituting her and she still returned to him - who's to say she didn't do the same with Simmons? That said, we will look into tracking the ex down for questioning but I think the possibility to Simmons using your sister is still conceivable."

Leon hesitantly agreed. "I'm sorry Helena but my partner is right and if this is what was really going on, I see a very good reason for Simmons to have wanted her existence covered up. A man like him... being involved in scandals - especially sex scandals are front page news. Think about it, Derek C. Simmons using his adoptive daughter for sexual exploitation and prostitution when she was an adolescent into adulthood... he'd be ruined."

"But how would they learn of Deborah's past just because she was fatally injured by a serial attacker...?" Helena asked. "What does that have to do with Simmons?"

"It has a lot to do with Simmons..." Piers started reluctantly. "...If it turns out that he was the one responsible for her condition to begin with."

Helena looked at him with an expression of sheer horror. "You mean...?"

Ada stood up. "I think its best we take a spin by your home, Miss Harper. An evaluation of your sister's life may provide the answers to everything we need."

"Wait -" Helena interrupted, breaking from Piers' embrace to stop the agents from leaving. "Are you saying you think Simmons is using these serial murders as a means of covering up Deborah's death - like pointing the finger elsewhere?"

"They do it more often than you think." Leon stated dryly. "Simmons should know the details of the murders as he's involved with National Security over in the States. If he is responsible for what happened to your sister, than he would know exactly how to cover his tracks - but Ada and I are some of the best agents the U.S has to offer..." he approached Helena and placed his hands on both her shoulders. "Don't worry, if he is responsible for this, he won't get away with it. I promise you that."

A small smile came to her face and she nodded to him. "Thank you... I appreciate the help..."

Piers stood up. "Let me grab my keys and we'll lead you to the house. I must offer a heads up for you, the city police trashed the place taking most if not everything for evidence."

"So it should be at the station then?" Leon asked puzzled.

Piers shrugged. "I would believe so."

"Hm, well we'll head there now. It could take us a while to contact you again as I'm sure you're aware this type of case takes time to work." the two brunettes gave him a gesture of acknowledgment. "We will keep you updated as much as possible and if we have questions we'll be sure to give you a call."

"So wait," Piers started before they made their exit. "If what happened to Deborah is actually because of Simmons, what about the other women that are being murdered? Is law enforcement looking into who is responsible?"

Leon nodded. "Yes but feel fortunate that Deborah wasn't murdered like those girls... The crime scene photos are hard to forget..." with that, he and Ada bid the two lovers a farewell and left.

* * *

Later that day, Piers and Helena were in the kitchen, Helena was preparing some dinner for the two of them while Piers quietly searched the internet on his laptop.

The kitchen had blue walls, wood floors, white countertops, a window view over the sink, and a wooden table in the center. It was narrow area, not too big but ample enough that moving around wasn't difficult.

Helena hovered quietly by the stove, she was making them some fish and chips - something to keep her mind and hands busy. She looked over to the handsome brunette she loved and felt her cheeks heat up. He was staring calmly at the screen of his laptop, she liked to look at him when he was unaware because if he caught her he would assume she was being soft or showing affection.

Gosh, she was even confusing herself with her complicated thinking.

"What are you looking at?" she asked him, turning away to extract the fries from the pan and into a glass bowl.

Piers shrugged. "A little of everything, I'm bored for the moment - hungry too. That smells good, honey."

Helena twitched at that. "_H-Honey_? Why are you calling me that? It's not like we're married or something." _Though I do kind of like hearing him call me that, it makes me feel fuzzy inside... Which is bad. _She shook away her thoughts.

Piers was very much amused, he closed the laptop after shutting it down. "I thought you wanted us to get away and get married and have kids?"

"That's supposed to be after we solve what happened to my sister." Immediately after she said that she felt regret. She hated to put Piers on hold like that. She would love to marry him - she knew Deborah would have loved it too... so why was she being so difficult? "Look, I'm sorry it's just -"

"It's fine," Piers said standing up and coming over to hug her from behind. "My apologies, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"But I'm not uncomfortable." she whined. "I'm just confused. Should I be doing something right now...? How can I find peace when all of this has happened?"

Piers sighed softly into her hair. "It's... not easy to but it takes patience. You never truly get over it but it eventually becomes easier to bear."

Helena turned around in his arms and stared up at him, his arms dropped to his sides. He was a few inches taller than her but she was able to look him in the eye. "You make it sound as if you've experienced this before."

"I have." Helena blinked and offered a sympathetic expression. "It wasn't a family member, it was a little girl I met during my time in the BSAA."

Helena turned off the stove, the food was finished now. "So... what happened?" she wondered aloud to him.

He appeared troubled as memories of his time at war threatened to surface. He shook his head, purging the images from his mind. "Let's just eat for now, we'll worry about everything else afterwards."

Helena followed him to the table, she carried the fries while he brought the fish and a few sodas he snagged from the fridge. Helena had already set out the plates and silverware so that was taken care of. Piers removed his laptop from the table, walked into the living room with it and then returned once he put it away.

The two said grace and started to eat. Piers openly voiced his delight at her cooking skills and Helena proudly thanked him. Over the course of the meal, they remained quiet - Helena felt guilty for making her lover relive his darker memories, she knew he went through hell but he never opened up about it, this was the first time she'd even heard that he lost someone dear to him - though she should have suspected it considering he'd lost many friends...

She felt a knot in her stomach.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" he asked her when he noticed she'd stopped eating suddenly.

"Sorry for making you think about it. I haven't been being very sensitive to your feelings..." she said ruefully. "I don't mind you calling me 'honey' or 'sweetheart' or even 'love'... I'm just so at a loss here - I don't know what to do."

Piers reached over and gently stroked her long fingers with his. "It's alright, Helena. I know exactly how you feel and trust me when I say everyone handles things differently. You're handling of death is similar to mine before… before I met little Mai…"

Helena tilted her head with interest. "Mai? Was she someone you met at war?"

Piers nodded with a short sigh. "Yes, she was ten years old. Sweetest and happiest little girl I ever met... I just couldn't understand why it had to happen to her..." he trailed off.

"What happened to her...?" Helena inquired gently.

Piers let out a huff. "I'll meet you in the room. I need to get my thoughts together." he stood up and placed his empty dishes into the sink, he would worry with them later. "Finish eating sweetheart - and don't even try sneaking your food into the garbage. You need the nutrients so just relax and take your time, we'll talk later."

Helena watched him go feeling her nerves kick in. She wanted to run to him and just bury herself in his arms but refused to show such helplessness. She finished eating her dinner and decided to wash the dishes herself to save him the trouble.

She thought of how affected Piers was by the girls being targeted by the serial killer and the reaction he gave at the prospect of Debbie being involved. He seemed deeply bothered by it and she began to wonder did he experience something like it when he served in the BSAA. She wondered did this little girl he mentioned named Mai suffer something similar...

_Just what happened to you, Piers? _she wondered, wiping at a tear in her eye. _I wish you didn't go through so much... I wish I could just take away your scars and fight your battles for you... I wish I could be your fortress. You're too wonderful to experience anything as devastating as death..._

She glanced at the clock nearby and noted it was closing in on 22:00 [10:00 pm], she fancied she would shower and change into her pajamas. That way Piers would have enough time to himself before she came to meet him.

* * *

The lovely brunette finished showering and dressing in twenty minutes flat. She came up the stairs with a towel over her damp hair and around her curvy form. Her clothes were still in his bedroom but she really didn't want to wear her own pajama's, she would rather wear one of Piers t-shirts and boxers, she liked his stuff and he didn't mind if she wore them anyway so she proudly took advantage of his kindness.

She walked into the room and saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, he'd changed into some pajama bottoms and a white short sleeved t-shirt, his eyes were lowered to his lap but he raised them upon noticing her. He smiled gently and openly admired her half-naked, curvaceous form. "I could never get enough of seeing you look like this." he breathed.

Helena smirked and walked over, he placed his hands on her hips and gazed at her fondly. "I need to borrow a shirt and a pair of boxers." she said sweetly.

"Why? You could sleep naked - in fact that would please me greatly." Piers said softly.

Helena sat beside him. "Come on, Pudding - talk to me. I hate to make you do this but I don't know... I just need help."

"I know you do, honey and I'll tell you." he pulled her into his arms and leaned back on the bed. "I think you're handling your sister's death fairly well... trust me."

"In comparison with whom...?" she wondered.

Piers sighed. "It's a long story so I'll just start from the beginning." and then he began to explain his ordeal...

"When I joined the army I decided to become a part of the BSAA. It is an organization that focuses on eliminating bioterrorism and we would prevent bio organic weapons from being sold over the black market as well as their use in modern warfare. I was assigned to the special operations unit and I served alongside my good friend Chris Redfield - he was also my captain but we've come to see each other on equal terms."

"War was war for me most of the time, my main goal being to survive no matter what. One day my group was assigned to evacuate a small town of civilians away from another bioterrorist. I went in expecting the usual procedure until we realized that the civilians were just women and children. All of the men had joined the terrorists and were on the hunt for them and it was up to us to escort them to safety."

"I had just taken down one of the members of the opposing party when out pops this little girl... she was hiding beneath her mother's corpse, dirty and covered with her blood... she was frightened of me until I told her I was there to help." Piers began to smile. "She lit up with joy and hugged me. I noticed how small she was and couldn't help but feel protective of her. I brought her back to our safe house where a woman we also had in protection cleaned her up and tended to her. It was then that she told me her name... it was Mai."

"Everyone in our group just thought of her as a ray of sunshine. She was obviously hurt by her mother's vicious murder but she always told me that her mom told her to be strong no matter what... and remember to smile."

He paused for some time, gathering his thoughts. "My interest was piqued so I asked her what was the point in smiling if you're surrounded by devastation and she told me that no matter what happens, she would smile because that's what her mother told her to do. I still wasn't following her so the lady who was caring for her explained the real reasoning behind it."

"What was it?" Helena asked with her ear against his chest. His steady heartbeat was calming for her.

"She said that it's easier to cope with loss when you remember the better times you shared with that person instead of bad. Mai confirmed it too when she went on to say she didn't want to let the image of what happened to her mother haunt her forever, she wanted to remember her smile and all the happier times they spent together."

Piers felt his shirt dampening, he knew Helena had started to cry so he hugged her tighter against him and stroked her back soothingly. "I didn't blame her because her mother's assault was inhumane - only the worst of scum could do something so disgraceful to a human being. I figured that philosophy was definitely enlightening for a child her age..."

"What happened to her mother?" Helena questioned quietly.

"She was sexually assaulted... and beaten to death..." was his agonized and reluctant response.

Helena said nothing. She had no way of knowing if her sister was raped but the fact that the little girl's mother was beaten just like Deborah was enough to make her feel uncomfortable.

Piers kissed her hair tenderly. "Mai's mother wasn't the only one. This was happening to all the women from the village. In fact, the woman who was caring for Mai - her name was Hoa and her daughter had suffered the same fate. While she was tormented by what she'd seen, she vowed to take the same perspective as Mai and remember the good instead of the bad."

"When the rest of my group learned of this, it hardened our resolve to see justice for all of the women. We moved out the next day to retrieve more people in need. We were fighting off the terrorists - Chris and I had taken a high road. There was an explosion from below that wiped out nearly half of our squad and we had no choice but to retreat."

"When we returned to the safe house, Chris was beyond enraged. He wanted revenge and he wanted it badly, honestly so did I. Little Mai approached me and told me to smile. Every time we lost members she told me the same thing... smile... because I lived another day... I grew attached to her, her innocence was endearing."

"I would sit with her and she would tell me about how she and her mother would watch clouds every day, or how her mom could catch fish with her bare hands, and anything else she could think of. It was great to see her so positive despite all the hell around us. I was finally starting to understand why she wanted to cherish her fonder memories."

"I suppose it is easier to think of the happier times." Helena said. "But Piers... what happened to little Mai?"

Silence.

"We returned from scouting one day to find the safe house had been broken into..." he said slowly. "She was inside... she and Hoa had been beaten just like the rest of the women..."

Helena bit her lip. "I'm sorry..."

"I'd never felt such anger inside me. I blamed myself and just wanted to find the son of a bitch that did it... but something stopped me. I couldn't explain it but something pulled me towards her small body. Near her was a small piece of paper. I picked it up and for the first time in ages... I cried."

"The picture was of me and her, she had finally caught a fish with her hands just like her mother could and I was on the sidelines with a smile on my face. At the bottom of the page she'd written _Remember to keep smiling, big brother Piers_..." he chuckled morosely. "I stared long and hard at that picture... from how lovely her art skills were to how no matter what… she never could spell my name right. She spelled my name P-e-e-r-s..."

Helena found herself smiling too; it was so cute of the little girl to do that. "When I finally pulled away from that picture, I realized I knew exactly how Mai felt. I wanted to remember her as that smiling, bubbly little girl with a love for nature, not as a victim - because she wasn't. She was a hero because she saved me. I lived another day and that meant I could smile for her and her memory."

"When we finally completed the mission and captured the head terrorist involved, he was taken to court to be tried for his crimes. The nail in the coffin for that bastard was when little Mai's drawing was used in court against him."

"You testified?" Helena asked almost admirably.

He shrugged. "Sort of, but all I had to do was show the court that drawing and offer a recorded conversation I had with her for sympathetic reasons so they would understand a little girl was killed by him and his people."

"It was a 15 minute long tape and started off with her talking about herself and her mother - all her dreams and her hobbies, her life before all the chaos happened. When she finally got around to talking about her mother, she spoke only of her life even though I asked who killed her. She did reply that it was the defendant but that was after her powerful statement that made even the judge fight off tears."

"She said - and I quote: _My mother isn't dead, she lives on in me. Her strength is mine, her will is mine, her memories are mine and her smile is mine. That man took her life but she gave it to me. As long as I live so does she and as long as you live so do I._"

Piers felt a lone tear escape him and stream down the side of his face onto the bed. "I had forgotten she said that to me until that day in court. I looked around and saw that most of my crew that was also in attendance was also fighting back tears. Mai lives on in every single person who was there that day, because she shared her memories and dreams with us. I made sure to tell everyone that before I left the stand. A few days later, he was convicted of all his crimes and given the death penalty."

"After that was carried out, I visited her grave. I thanked her for everything, for being brave and for being such a wise young girl. I vowed that no matter what happened I would remember to look on the brighter side of life and smile for her. I pulled her picture from my bag and showed it to her so she knew I would keep it forever just like her memory. After that, I departed back to the U.S to uphold the final promise I made her..."

"Promise?" Helena echoed.

"She made me promise that I would find happiness and I wouldn't rest until I found the girl I love - which is you."

Helena sat up and shot him an embarrassed look. "You told her about me?"

Piers nodded with a genuine smile. "She asked me if I was married and I told her I was holding out for a special girl." Helena blushed. "She made me promise to marry you one day after I rode into a castle and rescued you on a white stallion." The two laughed. "Unfortunately real life isn't like Disney movies and you're also much too tough for the damsel in distress role - I like you that way."

Helena let out a loud laugh. "Well thank you for the appreciation of my character." then her demeanor became solemn. "Debbie always told me to stop being stubborn with you and just give you a chance..."

"Sounds like her." Piers chimed. "Don't worry sweetheart, we'll find out what happened to her and get justice..."

"In the meantime, I should just smile like little Mai said to?" the lovely brunette wondered demurely. "And remember her during the brighter times?"

Piers shifted to sit up and Helena moved off his lap, clutching her towel to her body. Piers smiled a little. "Remember when Debbie threw a rock at that beehive by your house?"

Helena snorted trying not to laugh. "And she ran screaming into the house with a swarm of bees chasing her?" she cracked, giggles escaping her. "You shut the door so fast and the bees were just swarming outside waiting for her!"

He threw his head back in laughter. "Or how about when she caught a fish in her straw hat in the river behind my house - brought it home and dropped it in your dad's coffee? He took a sip and started screaming like a girl after he spit it out!"

"Oh I remember! _This coffee tastes like a fish!_" she said in her father's voice before falling to her side chuckling. "But I've got a better one, remember when she and I dressed you -"

Piers shook his head and turned away grumbling. "Nope - nah-ah, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Helena gave him a slight push. "Oh shut up you know you remember walking around in your mom's dress saying _I gotta go to the salon and get my nails done cuz these nails just ain't cuttin' it!_" Helena laughed madly at his reddened face.

"Please, it was a dare and I went through with it." Piers retorted defensively. "I got myself five dollars that day and it was worth it!"

"Yeah," Helena mocked playfully. "You spent it buying the three of us ice cream remember?"

"I also remember the super scoop the ice cream man gave me..." he grumbled. "The bees chased us all home because mine was leaking all over me."

Helena grinned. "And when we got back to your house we realized Debbie had dropped the key and I had to run back and get it. By then you were fighting off bees with your ice cream!"

Piers sighed dramatically. "Those bees sure did like to come after us... And Debbie sure did like attracting them."

Helena wrapped her arms around his neck from behind him. She leaned her ear against his. "Remember when she rented that foreign horror film before Halloween and made us sit through it with her?"

He chuckled lightly. "Yeah, it wasn't scary at all... just weird. I mean, really - killer rabbits?

The two laughed and before long they were sharing all the little memories they could. Helena even shared a few of the funny moments she and Debbie shared with Jake, usually involving Arnold Schwarzenegger action movies and failed attempts at the stunts. Piers was overjoyed to see Helena so happy, it made him want to do backflips.

"Wow it's that late?" she said suddenly. The clock on the nightstand read 2:14 [2:14 am].

Piers stood up and stretched, a yawn escaped him. "No wonder I was feeling tired." he mused. "I guess I'll let you get some sleep. My shirts are in the top drawer, boxers are right below in the second drawer. Get you some sleep okay?"

Helena grabbed his hand. "Don't... it's okay - I don't mind you sleeping with me." she spoke firmly but with blush on her cheeks. "Come on."

He studied her. "Are you sure?" she nodded and he smiled. "Well alright... but uh, what about the shirt and -"

"I'm fine." she said dismissively. Piers didn't even get to protest before she threw both of her towels at him and climbed under the sheets. Sometime later she grew impatient seeing he was standing in that same spot for so long and hadn't turned off the lamp on the nightstand. "Stop being weird and just get in."

The fiery woman had her back to him as he slid under the covers, flicking the lamp off afterwards. She peeked over her shoulder and saw he was staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. Helena turned over and picked up the nerve to press her naked form against him and lay her head on his muscular chest. He wrapped one arm around her and then kissed her forehead.

"You're teasing me, aren't you honey?" he asked suddenly.

Helena smirked. "Heh, maybe."

Silence.

"I miss her." Helena said quietly.

"So do I, sweetheart... but she's still here, as long as we live, she lives."

She smiled and kissed the exposed skin along his nape. "Piers I..."

Piers beat her to the punch. "I love you."

Helena didn't even flinch. "I love you too."

_Don't worry Deborah, no matter what I'll always love you. I'll remember you forever as that happy-go-lucky girl who always stayed positive. I'm going to adopt your resolve. _Helena thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

_Deborah, you never have to worry because you will get justice, I swear it. As long as I live... so do you._

* * *

A/N: I just got super emotional in here! :(

Well there's the bonus chapter! Sorry for the wait, I'm actually in the midst of planning ahead for this fic [pertaining to Jake and Sherry's adventures in Finland as well as their house and stuff]. I hope you liked this chapter!

If you guys/girls like I could plug in some more extras with these two but I'll have to do it depending on the story's flow. Just let me know if you like the idea. XD

So next chapter we're back to Jake and Sherry! I'm looking forward to writing about their adventures it's gonna be so much fun!

Any questions or concerns, be sure to let me know. In the meantime, thanks for all the reviews and feedback! Now, I've gotta start working on Chapter 2 of _Under the Apple Tree_ and finish planning the second part of this fic...

See ya soon!

-Vio


	16. A New Beginning

A/N: Just a head's up so there's no confusion. From this point on, the fic is no longer in 1st person because we're onto the second part of the story. The first part was centered on Sherry's POV but now it will be focused on Sherry, Jake, Piers and Helena.

Everyone else is still left up to interpretation because there is still more to be revealed - yes even Marlowe's got some secrets left over!

I'm gonna miss writing Sherry's POV but the fic must progress! XD

Well enough of my babbling! Enjoy the new beginning and the events that unfold!

* * *

Chapter 15

A New Beginning

* * *

Sherry peered out of her window in the backseat at what was to be her new hometown for perhaps the rest of winter. The blonde girl's eyes sparkled as she gazed delightfully at the scenery around her.

Finland was a true winter wonderland! Snow blanketed every town they sped past on their journey to their winter residence; from the tall, wise elder trees that swarmed the regions to the vast mountain areas. She even observed lakes and other bodies of water frozen over in thick ice, giving them a lucid and sturdy semblance that would make crystals and diamonds hide away to mask their shame.

Sherry felt like she was dreaming and she never wanted to wake up.

They were going to be staying in a very small town called Valkoinen Mökki. Despite its size and minimal inhabitants, the town had means of easy access to the busier cities by train and buses because they were very close by.

Sherry glanced at little Marlowe, he was in his booster seat sleeping peacefully beside her. She smiled remembering how restless he was on the plane – constantly jumping up and down, whining for food and entertainment – the boy was a handful but finally he was at ease.

Stephanie was on the other side of him, her bright hazel eyes were locked firmly on a novel she was reading - it was a book of short stories written by the great Edgar Allen Poe. Jake was in the front seat beside his father. Originally he wanted control of the radio but after his little brother fell asleep he had no choice but abandon that idea.

Wesker made an exit off the highway and onto a snowy path, the truck slowed as it road over thick snow. He made a left onto a small hill and Sherry could see what looked like a bar and it was quite busy with many vehicles in the snow ridden parking lot. While she observed this she suddenly became aware that this hill wasn't very small at all, it was frighteningly steep.

Not the 'Oh my God we're gonna flip over or slide down backwards' steep but still it felt like going up on a roller coaster ride.

Finally they reached the top and drove past a few random log cabins. They passed by more forests and lakes overtaken by the frosty weather and slowed down once they reached their destination.

"We're here!" Jake announced loudly, looking over his shoulder at Sherry - he couldn't wait to see her face. He was rewarded greatly because the pretty blonde was absolutely in awe.

It was the most luxurious and massive log home Sherry had ever seen!

There was a large body of frozen water in front of the home bordered by rocks for decor. The house itself was composed of wood but there were stone fixtures present as well. A wood deck wrapped around the entire residence, from what Sherry could make out there were at most three levels to the home - not including a possible basement. Large windows were everywhere but the curtains were closed.

Sherry was anxious to see the inside. "Wow..." she whispered aloud as Wesker pulled the truck up the driveway and into the garage with an automatic door.

Everyone piled out of the truck - Sherry helped the newly awakened Marlowe from his seat and carried him out in her arms. Immediately, Stephanie and Sherry began to shiver from the region's chilly weather. Everyone was dressed from head to toe in layers but the girls were still feeling the cold.

"M-Ma'am...?" Sherry started, her teeth chattering as she spoke. "A-Are y-you o-okay?"

"F-Fine..." the older woman replied with a forced smile and shiver. Sherry was no fool, she knew she wasn't 'fine' but she didn't push it - she figured it must get tiresome for her to have someone constantly worrying about her condition. She'd cut the auburn haired beauty a break for the time being.

The family [and Sherry] exited the garage and walked a few feet past it to the front double doors. Sherry was starting to notice that this new home was somewhat similar to the one in London, but it seemed much bigger – this place was almost like a mansion.

Jake unlocked the door and held it open for his mother and Sherry to enter first. They stepped onto the welcome rug and wiped their snow covered boots on it. Immediately afterwards, Sherry and Marlowe both were blown away by the scene before them.

Wooden fixtures were everywhere, tall windows in every corner of the room, a balcony overhead and a staircase to their right leading up to it. In the center of the room was a stone chimney with an unlit fireplace - a moose head hung high over it. An extravagant and beautifully weaved red rug was on the floor in front of the chimney, a coffee table atop it was surrounded by red and brown leather sofas. Lamps were on top of tables within the same proximity.

Jake flicked on the light switch nearby, illuminating the room via light from two grand chandeliers; one hanging above the group and the other on the opposite side farthest from them.

"Welcome to the new home!" Jake voiced with a hint of humor. He was trying hard not to laugh at Sherry's dumbfounded expression. Her already big blue eyes were even wider and her mouth hung open. _She's so cute. _He thought with a smirk.

Marlowe climbed out the stunned blonde's arms and wiggled himself to the floor. "It's a little cold in here." he said, poking at his caretaker's thigh to bring her back down to earth.

Sherry shook her head to rid herself of the trance she was in. "H-huh? Oh, um yeah it is..." she looked over to Jake and he shrugged.

"I have to turn the heat on. In the meantime, you could light the fireplace to warm up." he replied.

Wesker stepped in front of them and handed a box of matches to Stephanie and Sherry. "Light that fireplace for now and have a seat. Jake and I will retrieve everyone's luggage and once we return you will have your chance to tour the abode. Miss Birkin, you will follow Jake and light every fireplace you come in contact with - he will also show you and Marlowe to your bedrooms."

He turned to Stephanie and Sherry noticed that the normally cold and detached man seemed to falter for a moment, almost like the sight of his wife weakened him... "Stephanie... perhaps you would like to accompany me? I won't put you through much." he spoke slow and gentle.

Sherry thought it was strange but Jake paid no mind. He was used to his father sucking up to his mom. She was the one thing that actually made Wesker display an awkward ounce of humanity.

Stephanie tilted her head a bit but shrugged. "Sure," she started as she made a slow stride towards the couch; Marlowe followed closely behind to sit with her. "I'll just wait here for you."

Sherry glanced over to Jake and then went to join the quiet mother and her little sunshine. Jake and Wesker left back to the outside to deal with the luggage. Before taking a seat, Sherry walked over to the fireplace and observed the fresh wood inside. She lit a match and tossed it inside, the fire came alive slowly.

She flopped down on the couch opposite Marlowe and Stephanie, sending the two a smile. "I can't wait to tour." she whispered playfully.

Marlowe beamed at her. "Me neither!"

"I'm sure you two will love it here." Stephanie said, fixing the busy little boys hat. "There's lots to do to keep entertained, it's quiet and just an amazing place to be for the holidays."

Sherry grinned and turned her attention to the front door just as the Wesker men piled inside carrying all the bags in one go. They didn't look strained at all, almost like the heavy bags were equivalent to carrying bags of chips. Sherry wasn't sure she would ever get used to their super human strength.

"Alright, come on you two." Jake instructed with a smirk.

Marlowe raced over to him, Sherry sent Stephanie a smile before following behind the little blonde child. Jake started walking towards the staircase and Sherry placed the box of matches into her pocket before lifting Marlowe into her arms to trail behind Jake by a few steps.

They made a left at the top and walked straight through a doorway into an enormous room. On the left was a bookshelf fixed along the wall and a hefty computer on a desk beside it. A tall set of windows stretched far into the room with dark red curtains drawn for concealment.

Straight ahead was a small kitchen area consisting of a medium sized French-door fridge, a microwave, sink, a few burners on a stove, some cabinets and an oven. A countertop with four chairs was a few feet separated from it to allow movement space between the two.

Farther from the kitchen space was a large TV with its stand embedded into the wall. A rich chocolate brown L-shaped sofa was facing the television along with a loveseat. There was fireplace in this room - it was kiddy-corned to the right of the TV only a few feet away. Above the fireplace was a picture of a snowy wonderland.

"Family room." Jake stated after flicking on the lights and walking through the small kitchen space between the counter and sink. "Open those curtains would you? You'd think the people we hired to straighten up the place would've considered lettting a little light in..."

Sherry rolled her eyes, amused by him. "I'm on it." she chirped. She pulled the curtains back and then returned to his side.

Jake smirked. "Thanks, now come on you two. Your rooms are just up ahead and then we can start touring some more."

The two blondes followed behind Jake, passing the fireplace but giving Sherry the opportunity to light it first.

They entered another hall but this one was much smaller. To the right, they passed up a wide hallway with an arch opening and then an incredibly large and splendid bathroom with green granite floors and counters, a marble bathtub fixed against the wall, red rugs and curtains.

Sherry became enraptured instantly – stopping to gawk indignantly at the bathroom; she fell behind her boyfriend and his little brother - Jake had already entered the next room but upon noticing her absence he returned to shake his head at her weird habit.

_She's always staring at bathrooms... _He thought to himself, slightly amused and a little confused.

"Jeez Sherry what's with you and bathrooms?" Jake asked her with a raised brow.

Sherry blushed and shrugged before joining him and Marlowe in the next room.

Jake flicked on the light and a miniature chandelier came to life on the high ceiling above. Sherry looked around and noticed this was to be Marlowe's room. There was a twin sized bed beside two tall windows, a lamp on the nightstand between the two. The bed itself had little race cars for bed sheets and Sherry found it cute. A blue plush rug was on the floor and in the left corner was twin doors that provided access to a closet.

To the right was a narrow staircase leading to an upper area; Sherry assumed it was a playroom for him but she couldn't tell with the room concealed by dark curtains.

Jake sat Marlowe's bags down on the carpet. "Alright then, Mar this is your room."

"Yay!" Marlowe shouted, running over to his bed and jumping onto it.

"The baby doesn't get a fireplace?" Sherry asked quietly, tilting her head in his direction.

Jake shook his head. "Oh no - safety reasons of course." Sherry nodded her head. "Besides, he doesn't need it. This room gets warm quicker than any of the others - well, next to mom's room that is."

"Why?" she asked.

"You really want me to go into a long explanation on central heating?" Sherry giggled and Jake huffed. "Didn't think so, come on let's climb these stairs."

"Mar, are you coming?" she walked over to his bed and poked him a bit. He fanned her away and buried his face in the pillow. "Come on, let's go explore some more." she tried again and he shook his head and rolled over onto his back.

"I'm sleepy, Nanny Bear." he replied with his voice muffled by the pillow.

"I don't want to leave you alone here." Sherry said.

"Let him rest for a while." Jake said. "Come on, I'll show you to your room, we'll finish lighting fireplaces and then we all can get out of these layers. Hopefully by then dad cuts the heat on."

"I thought you were doing it?" Sherry questioned following him as he started up the stairs.

"It's downstairs where he is so he should think about it."

They reached the top of the staircase and there was a small standing area in front of a glass wall concealing a room inside with burgundy curtains. Jake slid the door open and pushed the through the curtains to allow Sherry to enter first.

"Hope you like your room." he said with a smile, she narrowed her eyes curiously and then stepped inside to take in the view.

"Th-This is my room?" she asked incredulously, her watery eyes dancing everywhere in the vicinity.

"Yep." Jake chirped, placing her bags on the floor.

Sherry was completely without words as she peered about her new room. It held the same wooden walls and floor designs as the other rooms but her room was much bigger than the last one she had. She had a queen-sized bed against the right wall, it was covered with sheets of burgundy, red and white. Opposite her bed was her very own fireplace enveloped in a stone fixture with a large flat screen TV a foot above it.

She moved past it all and studied the drapes in front of what she figured was a window. She pulled them away to find no windows - but a door to the outside deck! The pretty blonde almost squealed when she saw all the snow covered trees and her view of the backyard. She had no idea the frozen water stretched all the way to the back of the house!

"Beautiful..." she whispered.

"Did you check inside those other two doors?" Jake asked her.

She blinked and opened the one to her right to see an extravagant walk-in closet. Her jaw dropped as she stepped inside and looked around - it was already full of clothes, shoes and coats. "Whose things are these?"

Jake chuckled; he was dying to tell her this. "They're _yours_, Supergirl." she spun around wearing an expression of sheer astonishment. "Yeah, that evil chick really likes you – maybe too much."

"Ms. Excella did this?!" she shouted in disbelief, and then whirled around to shuffle through the clothing while Jake laughed at her surprise. _Wow, all of these are my size... Ms. Excella really does like to buy me things... _she thought with a slight pout. "Where would I even wear these things? I'm not much of a party-goer..."

"I'm sure you noticed how big this place is." Jake started, coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her middle. "V.M is where my dad has most of his parties and get-togethers. You're gonna see a lot of guests come around here once December arrives. At my damn expense..." he grumbled that last part.

Sherry began to feel hot. She wasn't sure if it was because of her many layers, the possibility that Jake's father had finally turned the heat on, or because of the excitement Jake brought her by just being close to her. "I-Is it hot in here or it's just me...?" she asked meekly.

"Feels hot to me too, dad must've finally turned the heat on." Jake said clueless to her frustration, he buried his nose into her sweet smelling hair. Sherry thought she had it bad but she had no idea just how powerful of an effect she had on _him_. "We better finish lighting the fires so we can get these layers off - but first... there's one more door you should open." he smirked handsomely at her when they split apart.

Sherry barely had a moment to ask what he meant before he ushered her from the closet and into the room across from it. The moment her eyes noticed the red wood cabinets, the marble bathtub, sinks, shower and peach ceramic tiles - she squealed and spun around to wrap her arms around her boyfriend.

"You got me my own bathroom!"

"Yep, this way you can be weird in private!"

* * *

The first week in V.M, the family [and Sherry] spent their time getting adjusted to their new home. Sherry and Stephanie banded together to come up with ways to keep the large home tidy, both agreeing that everyone would have to pitch in or they would have to hire some helpers. Jake and Marlowe were very helpful - Wesker on the other hand was always busy.

Eventually by the end of the week they had established a cleaning regimen they were comfortable with. The house just had so many rooms that the two women would work floor to floor each day. The women even came up with an every other night agreement to take turns making dinner.

Growing accustomed to the house was no big deal anymore - the weather on the other hand was crazy.

There had been two great blizzards over the week and the climate was steadily dropping. Jake dreaded to inform the women that they were looking at temperatures at or near -4ºC [25ºF] for the rest of the week.

Everyone stayed indoors, dressed in sweaters but enjoying the warmth of the home.

Sherry, Marlowe and Jake were still having a good time despite the weather because this new place had many means of entertainment. There was a game room in the basement, a home theater an even more epic bar than the one at the house in London, another home gym [which Jake pushed Sherry to use immediately], numerous areas to lounge and enjoy themselves.

As for the extras – they were a pleasant surprise.

There was a separate branch to the house that was accessed via an indoor walkway attached the second floor deck. Jake essentially maintained that part of the house so he could give his parents privacy. Originally it was the guest house but Jake changed his mind about it and turned it into a spot where he could enjoy himself.

His bedroom was located there on the second floor [which brought easy access to and from Sherry's room to his own] and he had a lot to offer for fun after his renovations we completed earlier that year.

There was an indoor bowling alley on the first floor along with a tennis and basketball court. In the basement he had a home laser tag, paint ball and a kickass game room. He was even nice enough to create a fun room for Marlowe on the first floor; complete with arcade games, a banana ride, bumper cars [that the two adults childishly enjoyed alongside the child], a bouncy house, slides, and tons of other stuff.

More good news was that Stephanie appeared to be miraculously healthier than before – Jake and Sherry both figured it was because of Sherry's abilities and they weren't complaining at all. The genteel and reserved woman spent most of her time reading in any one of the abundant quiet rooms, or knitting clothes in the sewing room.

Sometimes she would allow Wesker to talk her into joining him in his office - the few times she did oblige him, she merely sat quietly reading beside him or cleaned his office while he talked on the phone about business related stuff.

Everything was going well for the time being.

"Jake, what happened to the nurse you were going to have look after Mrs. Stephanie?" Sherry asked walking beside him as they made their way towards the basement bar.

It was late [21:00 / 9:00 pm ] and after three hours straight of playing Ping-Pong with Marlowe in the branch house, the pair were relieved that he had finally tired out and they returned to the main house to him to bed. Of course they had fun together but it had been a long day of cleaning and playing - Jake wanted to drink unresponsively [not like he could get drunk] and Sherry just wanted the alone time with him more than anything.

"Alexia? She's coming but she stays pretty damn far away from here. I'm talking past the equator." he replied as they passed through the first floor luxury kitchen. It was the largest kitchen in the main house and was used when serving guests while the others were for the family.

"Where?"

"Rockfort Island." Jake answered, taking her hand once they reached the bottom of the steps. They made a right and came behind the counter to the cabinets full of glass bottles.

Jake pulled a bottle of vodka from its spot and read the label. "I never heard of Rockfort Island," Sherry stated wrapping her arms around his middle; her hands caressed his hard abs through his sweater and her cheeks reddened. "Have you been there?"

The tall, hot-bloodied redhead fought the urge to pin her against the wall and rip off her sweater and jeans. It had been a while since he was intimate with her - nearly two whole weeks! Everyone was so busy and active lately they had no time to spend with each other - except with Marlowe and while Jake loved his younger brother with everything he had, he wanted some time alone with his dream girl.

Sometimes he was even a little jealous of the kid. Marlowe shared a room with her, slept in the bed with her often, hugged her whenever he pleased and Sherry just babied him like a loving mother... Okay, so Jake was more than a little jealous. He wished he could be babied by her.

Jake wanted her to be tender to him too. He longed for her body to be next to him in bed again, to hold her all night and kiss her until her mind was blown into another world. He wanted to bury his head in her breasts and suckle them like a hungry infant, to snuggle against her supple body and run his tongue all over her creamy skin like he had done before.

He felt his pants tighten and he grinned. _Maybe I could have her to myself now. We're all alone - I could break out some drinks, loosen her up and taste her again. Heh, it is what she wants after all. _

Her thoughts were screaming at him as she slid her hands under his sweater and fingered the cuts on his abs. She wanted some attention but she was being shy again. He could hear her doubting herself and getting nervous - he had to act fast or she might change her mind.

"I've been to Rockfort," he replied finally. "But let's talk about that another time. Wanna have some drinks with me, sweet girl?" he ran his fingers through her soft, short blonde hair. "Let's drink a bit and... sit in my room for a while... Sound good?"

Sherry was internally doing backflips. She wasn't a fool, she knew Jake was implying his wanton desires for her and she wanted nothing more than to give herself to him as much as it pleased him. She knew he could read her thoughts and didn't care, they were alone now - if she wanted him she'd better start being assertive with her needs and tell him. She knew Jake would take care of her, he promised he would and he cared enough for her that he would fulfill that promise.

"Sounds fantastic." she said coyly, planting a kiss on his chin. "I... I missed us being this close."

Jake hummed and a dazzling smirk crept onto his face. "Let's go to my room and get even closer, _naughty girl_." he loved calling her that. Her cheeks would attain a lovely pink blush, her eyes would sparkle, and she had a habit of just melting in front of him. He knew she could be a naughty girl, she had it in her but she was shy.

He wanted her to submit entirely to him - that way he could rid himself of the wet dreams he had involving her giving him permission to please her all night, him giving her all the control and she would sweetly tell him how much she loved his affectionate ways of dominating her.

Yes, Jake liked being the top dog - this was something from his childhood and there was something about Sherry that made him yearn to take care of her, to be her master. He wasn't a crazy man [not anymore] trying to control her, he would give and do anything for her to keep her happy. All he wanted in return was for her to submit to him and belong to him - to have that connection without either of them having to say a word. He wanted to be in charge, he liked things that way.

He knew from her thoughts, actions and words that she enjoyed the idea of belonging to him. She liked to feel wanted and appreciated, like she was actually doing well with herself - and she was, so Jake decided to be the man in her life that would help her see her worth every day.

Jake grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine and wrapped an arm around Sherry's small waist as they headed upstairs towards his room. Sherry hadn't been to his room yet [Jake said it was a surprise…] so she was elated for two reasons. The first was that she would see it finally, the second was that she planned to shower him with affection and hopefully get the same in return.

Jake led the way, Sherry followed him with an anxious smile. They came to the front room and both were surprised to see Stephanie sitting out there alone. She had a soft wool blanket around her and a cup of warm coffee in her hands. Her smoky hazel eyes were firmly locked on the fireplace. Jake quickly handed the bottle of wine behind his back to Sherry to hide it.

"Mom? Is everything alright?" Jake asked coming up to sit with her. Sherry stood beside him, her delicate features etched with concern.

Stephanie snapped from her trance and nodded quickly. "I'm fine, just trying to keep my mind off of things." she answered with a sweet smile.

"Yeah, you never did like the snowstorms around here." Jake humored. "But really, if you need anything just let me know. Alexia's going to be late getting here because she –"

"Jake, she doesn't need to come." she interrupted, stunning the lovers with the slight edge her tone carried. "Listen, I know you're concerned for me but I am feeling quite alright. Please, I don't need anyone watching me – I am enjoying the peace and quiet our family is having. We're all here together and other than Sherry, I'd rather we just keep family here and no one else, especially not any new _women_."

To say they were taken aback would be an understatement. Sherry remained quiet, she understood what Stephanie was saying but it still struck her as strange. She couldn't decipher whether the woman was just hungry for the much needed family time or if she was unaccepting of a new woman in the home.

_Like she was towards me at first… _Sherry thought to herself.

Jake's thoughts were of a different sort. He knew his mother was distrustful of other women because of how funny his father could be with them. Sometimes it seemed like he was ignoring her for other women – but at the end of the day, he tried to get his mom to understand like he did now; his father wasn't being unfaithful, he was just _odd_.

Looking at his mother, he was reminded of when she was sick and in bed not too long ago. At one time, his father's detachment to her made him bitter with rage… no matter how much his mom assured him Wesker had his reasons, Jake wouldn't listen. But now he could understand his father's behavior...

_He couldn't handle seeing the woman he loves ill. It would shatter his mask of indifference._

She was his father's only weakness and he couldn't afford that…

"_**So long as the corrupt are present in this world, you must make sacrifices to protect the ones you love - even if it means forsaking your own humanity to keep them happy..." **_

No matter how hard Jake tried to forget those words, they still haunted him.

Ever since he'd spoken with his father the day after he and everyone else raided the hospital in London, he started to see him in a new light. His father was complicated, cold and secretive but Jake was starting to understand the reasoning behind his father's withdrawal.

He was isolating himself to shield them all from the truth of his inner turmoil.

It bothered Jake to this very day that his father withstood so much of his anger and accusations all these years and didn't take it to heart. He took the heat from his loved ones to keep them safe…

Jake felt guilty that it took him so long to realize that about his father.

Even worse, the more Jake thought about it, the more he discerned that he and Wesker were more similar than he originally thought…

It scared him.

_What if I end up that way? What if I become a hard-ass who loses his humanity because I think it will protect my loved ones? _

Like his father, Jake had seen a lot, survived a lot and knew more than he wanted to about the harshness of the world. He was internally terrified of the possibility he could very well take the same route that his father did to shelter the ones he cared for.

At one time he did keep secrets from Marlowe, his mom and sometime later, he was the same way with Sherry. He was distant, desperate to keep them all away from his life as a hellhound...

But Sherry saved him from that life of solitude and gave him the reality check he needed to make a change for himself and everyone in his life…

He balled his fists and sent a resolved look towards his mother despite the conflict within him. He would never be able to live with himself if he made Sherry feel the way his mother did. _I'm not my father… I am NOT my father!_

"Mom, I know you would like things that way but I have to make sure you'll be alright." he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Alexia's a complicated gal but she's one hell of a professional – trust me, she puts business above all else."

Sherry noticed Stephanie twitch a little at the mention of the woman's name. _Hm… why is she doing that? Does she hate this woman already – before even meeting her? _

"Jake, please – I'm fine, as long as I keep my anxiety levels steady, there's nothing to worry about." she smiled, a forced one and Sherry observed this with a discreet skeptical semblance. "Finland has always put me at ease and you know this. It's the perfect place for me to read, knit, weave and take photos – that always gives me comfort. The serenity of this country brings me so much calm… I'll be fine, sweetheart – go tend to Sherry."

Sherry squeaked, her cheeks reddened dramatically while Jake chuckled. "I'm guessing dad told you about the plan?" the mood in the room was dramatically lightened then.

She nodded. "I mean, I already knew the two of you had something but I'm overjoyed that he doesn't mind." she whispered with a giggle. "I also saw the bottle of sparkling wine behind Sherry – not very good at hiding things now are you dear?"

The two redheads laughed as Sherry covered her face with her hands.

Jake's features hardened once more towards his mother. "Alright mom, I'll leave you alone for now but promise me if you need the help you'll let me know."

"I promise."

* * *

Instead of going to Jake's room, the two wound up on the second floor of the main house in the casual bar room. It was down in the hallway past the granite bathroom Sherry ogled when they first arrived. This bar was much smaller than the basement one as well as the one on the first floor [there were many bars in the house…], but the room was cozy and had a key lock.

The room itself was very small compared to the others, its length equal to the width. There were three couches in front of the windows [they were drawn closed with sheer white drapes], a lengthy loveseat and two armchairs; they had wooden frames with cushions and pillows that matched the window curtains. The couches arched around a wood and glass coffee table.

The bar was on the immediate right of the door, taking up the corner there – bottles of all sorts were lined inside the glass cabinets and there was a small French door refrigerator behind the glass countertop.

Jake locked the door behind them and Sherry plopped down onto the loveseat after Jake flicked on the table lamp. "Why can't we go to my room?" he asked with a playful sulk to his sharp features. He moved behind the counter to pour them both a drink.

Sherry sent him a small smile. "Jake… does your mom dislike other girls so bad she's refusing treatment because of it?" her pretty face was troubled. "I'm asking because she wasn't very accepting of me when we first met."

He raised a brow. "Oh great, we're gonna put waste our alone time worrying about my stubborn mom." he rolled his eyes. "Come on, Supergirl – I don't wanna talk about that right now… Mom just has her moments when she's jealous – it's normal!" he smirked.

"But really, she's always eased up when we come to V.M because of her hobbies. She's a nervous type of person but this place calms her. Don't worry so much – if she's refusing treatment it's because she's feeling better." he came to sit beside her, offering her a small glass of sparkling wine. "Besides, your influence most likely has a lot to do with it anyway. The two of you sat side by side the whole plane ride – she's gotta be completely regenerated."

Sherry sighed. "If you say so…" Jake downed his wine in one go, Sherry sipped hers slowly; savoring the taste until her glass was empty.

Jake grinned and pushed her back gently to relax on the couch. "Good, now… can I kiss you, baby girl?" he purred against her soft pink lips.

"Yes." she whispered.

His arms wrapped around her petite body and he kissed her tenderly. It was sweet and chaste at first but eventually things heated up and his tongue invaded her mouth to caress hers. Sherry moaned faintly as Jake climbed on top of her petite body, she spread her legs to let him lay between them.

Jake tasted her thoroughly and groaned deep within his throat, her curvy body was giving him a thrill he just couldn't handle. His lips left hers so he could kiss all over her neck and collar bone.

Sherry slid her hands under his clothing to run her hands all over his deliciously ripped torso. She'd rather use her tongue but she'd be patient for the time being. She sighed blissfully when he mimicked her actions put instead he removed her sweater entirely. She bit her lip as he buried his face into her bosom, she felt him unhook her bra in the back, and a second later the offensive barrier was on the floor.

His mouth watered and he began to suck her pink nipples immediately, drooling on them. Sherry cooed and purred sweetly, enjoying his skilled tongue and mouth work over her sensitive buds. "Mhmm, Jake…" she whimpered, feeling tingly all over – a familiar heat pooling between her legs.

Jake hummed, he loved the sound of her saying his name. His member stiffened and began to beg for freedom from its confinement in his boxers. He chuckled and squeezed her soft mounds together to run his tongue over both nipples at once.

Sherry groaned aloud, growing frustrated with his teasing. She wanted some more, she wanted to take off everything and let him make love to her.

Her lover heard her thoughts and stopped himself immediately. Sherry was shocked to see him sit up so suddenly. She gave him a look of sheer bewilderment, his features however were demure.

"Jake? W-What's wrong? Why did you stop, baby?" she asked breathlessly. She was frustrated and hungry for attention…

"I refuse to take your virginity in here." he stated firmly. He meant this – he felt too strongly for Sherry to make love to her in a bar. He'd prefer they be in his room – on his bed surrounded by candles. "I ain't gonna make love to a girl as wonderful as you on a couch – maybe another time for kinks but definitely not when it comes to something as serious as our first time."

Sherry blushed, feeling tears swell in her watery eyes. "Jake that's so sweet…"

He smirked and leaned in to kiss her sweet lips once more. "If you want me to finish pleasing you I will, but I ain't taking you that far in here." he winked, sending her a sexy smirk. He had special plans for their first time, but she would have to wait and see.

She pinched at her own nipples in response to his words. He growled in his throat as he studied her, her cheeks were rosy and pretty, her pink lips were swollen from his kisses and her hair was messy on her head.

She was so beautiful to him - like an otherworldly entity sent to earth just for him.

Jake's hand latched onto her jeans and slid them off of her, and then he pulled down her girly panties to gaze her pretty pink nether lips. He licked his lips upon noticing how wet and delicious she looked down there. His hands locked firmly onto her hips, he slid her body down until she was flat on the couch and her head wasn't on the armrest; her comfort was very important to him. He kissed her inner thighs lovingly, running his hands up and down her creamy legs.

"You're so sweet, baby girl." he whispered to her, he was satisfied when she sighed dreamily. "Pretty girl – you're such a pretty, pretty girl." He chuckled almost darkly when she whimpered. "I'll take care of you, I promise."

Sherry almost screamed when his mouth devoured her fleshy nether region, tasting her, teasing her delicate clit and sucking on her wet folds. Her body felt warm and she couldn't stop sighing. She felt nothing but admiration for the man who cared so passionately for her. She wanted to express the words her heart ached to reveal.

Jake felt proud, in charge – like a sovereign to this beautiful nymph at his mercy. He would see to it she had nothing to worry about – ever. As long as she was his, he would care for her and spoil her if she would let him. He was grateful to her for everything she did for him, her beautiful body and soul being his was an honor and he intended to treasure her forever.

* * *

Helena was stretched out on the sofa, remote in hand as she stared disinterestedly at the TV. She'd been watching a marathon of a show involving zombies – it was called _The Walking Dead_ and she liked it but after watching it for so long she was tired of staring at the TV…

She sighed and clicked the device off and then stretched out her arms with a yawn. "Pudding – where the hell are you?" she groaned aloud as she twisted to place her feet on the floor, she stood and made a stride towards the kitchen to grab a water bottle from the fridge.

Her lover had been out for a little longer than he originally informed. How long could it take to get the mail? She would have gone with him but he assured he would be fine.

_If he doesn't get here in the next five minutes, I'm going to – _

The door opened suddenly, Piers entered with slight distress marring his handsome features; he was stiff as board, his hands behind his back – he looked as if someone had a gun to his back. His chocolate haired girlfriend was about to demand an answer for this but an olive skinned beauty emerged, pushing Piers further into the house and shutting the door behind them.

"Sheva? What are you doing here?" Helena asked raising a brow.

Sheva smiled, sending her a friendly wave. "Hi Helena! I'm not sure if Piers told you but he agreed to look after me today!"

Confusion etched the woman's face. "Look after you? Why?" she glanced back and forth between the nervous and fidgety Piers to the smiling Sheva.

"Piers! You didn't tell her?"

Piers ran a hand through his brown hair with a sheepish grin. "I meant to tell you yesterday sweetheart but it slipped my mind when we went to clean out your old place…"

Helena glared at him. The two of them spent a good three hours cleaning her former home – he had the rest of that whole day to let her know they wouldn't be alone! "Piers…" she growled.

Piers shivered before letting out a light chuckle. "Sorry! You see, Steve called me right before we went! He has a meeting to go to today and Carlos has to go with him."

"What does that have to do with you Sheva?" she asked with a bored tone.

The cat-eyed girl giggled. "I forgot you didn't know… I'm pregnant, Helena – with Carlos' baby."

Her jaw dropped. "Pregnant?! Whoa… so um, we have to look after you?"

Sheva nodded with a grin. "Yep! Until they come back!" she waltz over to the couch and flopped down, stretching out comfortably. "Don't mind me, I'll just relax here and watch some TV since the couch is already warm!"

Helena was speechless, Piers cleared his throat to interrupt the awkward silence that threatened to emerge. "Um, how about I get you something to drink, Sheva? Maybe some water or juice?" he smiled.

"Sounds' great, thanks." she chimed, placing her hands on her stomach. "I'm hardly showing at all and yet I puke almost every other hour…" she sighed. "I could use a trash bin while you're at it."

"Will do." Helena grabbed Piers' hand and tugged him into the kitchen. When they were away from the room, she shot her lover a hard stare. "I thought you and I were supposed to do _something_ else? You know – _something_ we've never gotten the chance to?"

Piers blanched, cursing his life because once again he missed his opportunity to be with his girl… "I know Honey and I'm really sorry about that – but she's pregnant and it couldn't hurt to help her out."

"I have no problems helping her at all, I'm just upset that you had me expecting something and now it will have to wait." she pouted with a blank expression, folding her arms over her buxom chest. Piers couldn't help but think that she came off as too controlled – almost like a humanoid who hadn't mastered human expressions yet.

Piers wrapped his arms around her. "Tonight Honey – I promise. For now let's just help her settle in and get comfortable."

Helena let out a light huff and then nodded. "Alright, I'll get her something she can … _barf_ in. You get her something to drink."

He chuckled, kissing her forehead. "That's my girl, come on."

**Bletch! **

The sound was so loud it caught the two off guard completely. Followed by a fit of coughing, they realized the noise came from Sheva.

Piers' sulked dramatically. "That was on the rug wasn't it…"

Helena peeked out from around the corner. She saw Sheva leaning off the couch, a pool of vomit all over the floor and carpet while she wore a face of penitence. "Yep." she turned in time to see him smack his own forehead. She grinned. "On second thought, I'll bring her some water and check on her. You get a **mop**."

* * *

Sherry and Marlowe were beyond excited to learn they were finally about to experience the fun activities that Finland had to offer!

Jake had woke the two up earlier that morning and commanded them to get dressed in warm, comfy layers and be prepared to go outdoors for the day. They complied without question and after Sherry successfully completed the morning routine for herself and Marlowe, they met Jake downstairs in the front room.

When they arrived they were met with two new faces present with Jake.

A male and female; the male wasn't very tall – 173-175 cm [about 5"8 – 5"9] maximum with a lean physic, shockingly red hair and narrow features. The woman was maybe an inch shorter and incredibly shapely. She had bright blonde hair that hid her eyes from the world and thick, full lips. They were both dressed warmly for the chill of the outdoors to come.

"It's about time you two made it." Jake greeted them with a smile and beckoned the two strangers to come closer to them. "I'd like you two to meet my uncle Raymond and my aunt Rachael; Uncle, Rachael – this is my little bro Marlowe and my _girlfriend_, Sherry."

Sherry blushed red; she still wasn't used to being called that aloud – she forgot that she didn't have to keep her connection to him a secret anymore. It felt incredible to hear him call her that without hesitation – she felt special.

She extended her hand to them both with a bright smile. "N-Nice to meet you both!" she said in a melodic tone.

Raymond accepted her hand with a slight smile and Sherry could see the resemblance between him and Jake's mother – he simply had to be her brother, it was all in their eyes. "It's nice to meet you, Sherry."

"Hi!" Mar greeted Rachael cutely. She squealed and hugged him tight against her body, Jake almost panicked when his brother squirmed viciously to get away from the blonde – luckily she released him and uttered an apology.

Marlowe didn't seem to be eased by her words, vying to stay with his brother; he practically begged the tall super human to hold him and save him from the overly affectionate female. Jake obliged him, a ghost of a smirk on his handsome face.

Sherry giggled sheepishly at Marlowe's behavior but held out her hand to the other blonde with a smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Rachael."

"Vester." Raymond affirmed with a solemn countenance. Now Sherry began to wonder was he a part of the Wesker family with his stoic persona.

"Mrs. _Vester_." she corrected after the confirmation from Raymond. She was shocked when Rachael leaped at her, enveloping her in a warm, friendly hug. "It's nice to meet you too, little Sherry! You're the first girl I've ever heard Jake speak so fondly of!"

Jake groaned, his cheeks tinting from embarrassment. "Jeez auntie, do you always have to be so –"

"_Cute_?" Raymond intercepted with a smirk. "Yes, yes she does."

Jake rolled his cerulean eyes; his aunt was always perky and excitable. She was childish, clumsy and unpretentious with an unbearable clinginess to his uncle that he thought was annoying when he was younger. Then again, her clinginess wasn't unfounded – she was very accident prone, always showing up injured whenever she got lost or they left her alone.

Eventually he realized Raymond didn't mind her tenacity – he often observed his uncle looking for her to make sure she was by his side all the time to make sure bad things didn't happen to her. He seemed to like having a girl attached to him by the hip and he defended her whenever Jake tried to insult her.

Despite Rachael's short comings, Jake really liked her. She was fun and adventurous with a love for outdoors like himself – the two got along very well when Jake wasn't irritable and she wasn't have a '_Rachael day_'.

Still, he couldn't understand how a tight-wad like Raymond managed to click with this girl for over five years now...

Marlowe waved to the red haired male shyly and he nodded in response.

Jake turned to Sherry who'd finally escaped his aggressive aunt. "Sherry, Raymond is my mom's younger half-brother, he lives in France but he spends a lot of time here. He and Rachael have been my tour guides and caretakers to a degree for the last five years – technically since their marriage began." The two chuckled at him, Jake smiled. "They always made things interesting for me, so every year I come here I make sure they're gonna be here too."

Rachael grinned. "Every year he calls to let us know he's setting out – we always meet him so he can have a fun Christmas. Hopefully we can give you two a fun one as well!" Raymond agreed with her.

Sherry was elated, she'd only experienced the joys of Christmas with Claire and Leon – she loved every moment she'd spent with them but it was exciting to think that she would see what Jake had all these years during his holidays. She couldn't wait to experience the jolly season with Marlowe, Jake and the family.

"I never celebrated Christmas…" Marlowe stated sadly.

The room became silent.

Sherry walked over and held out her hands to take the child from Jake. Marlowe went willingly to her and she hugged him tightly, kissing his forehead. "Well – you will this year sweetheart." she said sweetly. "I promise – your first Christmas will be amazing!"

Marlowe smiled. "I believe you, just promise there won't be any Grinch's like the one from the _Grinch Who Stole Christmas_."

"W-What's that?" she asked timidly. Sometimes her lack of a childhood made her feel like a caveman who knew nothing about everything…

"It's a movie that Jake showed to me before you came along, Nanny Bear. It was creepy because the Grinch was evil and was ruining Christmas for everyone!"

"Is that the scary part?" Raymond wondered aloud with an elevated brow.

Marlowe shook his head and looked at them all with big blue eyes. "He was fuzzy and green with an evil smile! He was **ugly**!"

Everyone laughed at his statement.

Jake smirked, he loved that Sherry was so good with making his brother cheer up. She would make an excellent wife. _Whoa… taking things slow here – remember that._

"Okay then everyone – no sad faces!" Rachael said cheerfully. "You're all gonna celebrate Christmas this year that's for sure!"

Marlowe cheered loudly earning a laugh from Sherry. Raymond stepped forward with a lazy smirk. "In the meantime, let's get the day started."

The group of five was having a blast. They all piled inside a luxury minivan, Raymond was the driver with Rachael in shotgun; Jake, Marlowe and Sherry sat in the back feeling comfortable and ecstatic as they traveled city to city, seeing sights and taking pictures.

They got an opportunity to ride in snowmobiles when they found a cabin offering rentals for them. They rented two, one for Jake, Sherry and Marlowe while Raymond rode with Rachael. Jake strapped Marlowe to his front by use of a special belt, much to the little guy's misery – he begged to be strapped to Sherry but she had to hold onto Jake, thus that wasn't going to work well.

The girls and Marlowe were shouting with glee as they zipped through snowy fields and forests. Sherry held on tightly to Jake, screaming and cheering when they would speed up but when they slowed she would snap photo's while grasping him with one arm. They circled an area where they could see the bright lights from a city nearby and stopped a few times so Sherry could take pictures of it and send them to Claire and Leon.

After they rode for what seemed like hours, they returned the snowmobiles and retreated back to the minivan where they ate snacks, chatted and planned their next move.

"Let's go see the husky dogs!" Marlowe suggested with bright eyes.

Sherry grinned at Jake and the others. "I like his idea, huskies are so cute!" she almost squealed. Rachael joined her, offering a high-five and the girls giggled together talking about fluffy dogs and fuzzy things.

"Sounds good to me." Jake added glancing at his uncle.

Raymond gave a small smile and started the van. Jake took Rachael's spot to allow the girl's some time to talk with Marlowe, he would chat with his uncle for the moment. "So, you two still aren't thinking about kids?"

His uncle hummed but kept his focus on the road. "We travel so much it would be hard to just accept a life of settling down. We both like sight-seeing and exploring, a child might impede that."

"I see." said Jake, leaning his head back on the leather cushion of his seat.

"El wants a child but I don't want to put her through the harsh reality that she'll have to mature FAR beyond where she is now…"

"But if she wants a kid I'm sure she knows that." Jake huffed. "Did you just call her '_El_'"?

Raymond smirked. "What? Is it that bad? She is my wife after all, a pet name can't hurt."

"I guess."

"So, what about you and the little miss? Are you two serious or no?"

Jake smiled a little. "She's my everything."

"How do the two of you manage taking care of the little one while trying to form a relationship?" he asked suddenly, catching Jake off guard. "I mean, I'm 10 years your senior and you seem to handle dealing with a child and having fun at the same time. I'm asking because if El and I do settle down… I'm curious about what our life might be like…"

Jake shrugged, he hadn't really thought too much about it but now that Raymond brought it up, it did seem like he and Sherry were like a married couple with a kid. He wasn't sure he liked that too much – he was young and they hadn't even experienced much together yet they were raising a child his parents should be…

_It shouldn't bother me. I've been raising the kid for a while now… but now that I think about it… things would be so much easier if it were just Sherry and I. We could do so much – we could go anywhere we wanted. I never realized just how much is put off to take care of Marlowe…_

He felt like he hadn't had a chance enjoy the early courtship to the fullest. It was as if they jumped straight into marriage – the kid would come first, the relationship second.

But damn it he wanted to work on their relationship. He wanted Sherry to himself for now – once things got serious then he would worry about sharing her with a child, but that would have to come later.

_Maybe uncle's right to hesitate. A child impedes everything if you aren't ready for it…_

He glanced behind his seat to see if Sherry was still occupied, and she was – she and Rachael were facing the TV in the back of the van, watching some cartoon with Marlowe while they chatted girlishly over something of the trivial sort. He didn't want her to hear what he had to say but damn, he needed to vent for once.

"I'm not gonna lie, Sherry wasn't always my girlfriend, she was hired by my dad to look after Mar a few months after mom got sick. Sherry's loyalty was to him from square one… that said, Mar is always her top priority mine too but the circumstances are different."

"I used to care for Marlowe all the time but I got wrapped into doing what I wanted to do and as a result he felt neglected. Eventually she was hired and she picked up where I left off – making the kid so happy while I just took that as a means that I had more free time. She and I were nothing to each other in the beginning… but something happened that changed that…"

Images of Sherry from the first time he met her and everything they'd endured together since then surfaced in his conscious. He recalled her glowing in the dimly lit warehouse during his fight – that was the first time he noticed her glimmer in the dark. He recalled how he excused himself from everyone else when she left just to chase her down and confirm to himself that she actually _was _like a brilliant gem among dirt.

He remembered how long he watched her from the top of the building – that way he could remain hidden from her sight. He saw her glistening in the dark as she spoke with Claire, he could smell her distress from his position in the shadows – he'd never felt so drawn to a girl before.

He recollected how her voice was like a gentle song as she spoke to that drunken dog and how badly he wanted to beat that fool to death for even speaking to her. She was an otherworldly being and he could feel that about her.

Jake thought of the moment when he surfaced before her; she was vulnerable, scared and she had every right to be. Before he touched her face and felt himself calming… he was angry – bitterly so. At that time, Jake wasn't the type to deal with his problems; instead of comfort her and tell her he wasn't upset at her presence – he wanted to lash out, anything to fight those feelings emerging within him…

That moment when his skin touched hers, she looked at him with eyes full of emotions… He heard her thoughts and they scared him – she felt drawn to him like he was to her. He wanted to hate her and get away, he'd long abandoned the idea of being with anyone romantically but she was _different_.

He wanted to fight against the sensations within him but he knew what he had to do.

He had to keep her safe.

And he did. When she and Sheva ran from the police, Jake followed them but kept himself concealed. He heard the crash from inside the building the two women went into, he knew he had to distract the dogs to keep them at bay for them to escape. Luckily his ploy worked and they got away.

Once he found her, he made sure to let her know she was too good for his lifestyle. She didn't understand him then, but he figured with time she would leave him alone. But she didn't… she stuck beside him and made him want to change himself for the better.

She was his wake-up call that he was supposed to be a better man and he wanted to be that to keep her safe.

It was because of her that he realized the error of his ways with Marlowe. He always loved the boy but he was afraid to put him in danger with his criminal ways and also because he was selfish.

Jake realized he was a coward before Sherry came into his life.

He discerned he was a selfish man too. He'd been living his life without care for others out of bitter anger with his father…

It was because of Sherry that he wanted to protect his loved ones. He was willing to give up his life of crime and ignorance to keep her, Marlowe and his mother safe from harm. He wanted to go out of his way for all of them, to see them smile and be happy.

He thought of the trust she'd placed in him, how she looked to him as her partner yet was willing to listen to him and placed her life and safety in his hands. She thought of him as a knight in dark clothing but still trusted him – he had no plans on disappointing her.

Before Sherry came to his life, he was a boy, now he had grown into himself – now he was a **man**.

He looked to his uncle with eyes of contentment. "You know… at first I was going to bitch and moan about how hard it is to deal with the kid and Sherry… but now that I think about it, it's not a problem at all." he chuckled with a genuine smile. "Sherry made me into the man I am today with her will power and geniality. I know she wants me but she also wants to keep Marlowe happy and I understand that because if it weren't for him she wouldn't even be here… and I wouldn't be either."

Jake smirked. "I owe her everything and I'll do whatever I can to keep her happy and my little brother because I owe him for finding her. Marlowe hasn't driven a wedge between us at all – in fact he's brought us closer."

Raymond smiled. "Sounds like the two of you could go a very long way." Jake let out an amused huff. "I'm serious, Jake – from the sound of things, it sounds like you love her." Jake stiffened, shooting his uncle a dark glare. Raymond wasn't fazed. "Jake, I see the way you look at her – I see how she looks at you too. She's as devoted to you as El is towards me. I've only been around you two for a few hours and I see her act so tender when it comes to you. She adores you – why can't you tell her you feel the same?"

Jake couldn't answer that question. _I know damn well she loves me, she's always screaming in her mind but… _He glanced back at Sherry and she turned to look at him a moment later. She smiled, a pretty blush came to her cheeks as she stared at him, enamored. _I can't keep this up… I know I love her – so why is it so hard to tell her? _

_Maybe… Maybe I could show her instead…_

* * *

The group returned home after a long, long day of sleighing with huskies and attempts to ski [the only ones who did so successfully were of course Jake and to Sherry and Marlowe's surprise, Rachael was a pro too]. They all had a great time together; their excessive photos and tired bodies were evidence of it all. Marlowe had fallen asleep on the way home so Jake carried him into the house.

Raymond and Rachael volunteered to stop by again soon and go skiing once more and also try some ice skating, fishing and visit some ice hotels and igloos. Sherry suggested they try a sauna together too and they all agreed.

They said their goodbyes and departed for the night.

"What an incredible day!" Sherry said exhaustedly, she relished feeling the warmth of the house, she longed to get out of the many layers and settle herself into a pair of her many footie pajamas. She knew she had to change Marlowe as well so she fancied she'd dress him in the same attire.

"Hell yeah." Jake agreed with a sigh. "Let's get this little guy to bed."

Just as they made for the stairs, Wesker emerged from the formal dining room behind them. "Jake, Miss Birkin – may I have a word with you both?"

The two glanced at each other and gave him their full attention. "I am planning for another gathering; this one however will be a Christmas gathering."

Sherry was taken aback. _Another party? Like the Halloween one? Wow – I wonder how this one will go? _She grinned. "How can we help, sir?"

"The gathering will be a few days before Christmas because not many will attend if it's on the special day – everyone will desire to be home instead. That said, the gathering will take place in the next two weeks. Miss Birkin, snacks and drinks are of course your responsibility; my son, you will assist in the décor like you have for Halloween. I will disclose more information to the both of you in the next week. In the meantime, I advise the both of you to start preparations. Go gift shopping and anything else you can think of now so it will be out of the way next week."

With that he left, leaving the two alone.

"Last time your dad did this I found myself dressed as a sexy maid." Sherry said with a smile. "I'm expecting to be a sexy elf this time."

Jake smirked. "Nah, if I'm Santa you're definitely Mrs. Claus."

Sherry blushed. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

A/N: APOLOGIES FOR THE WAIT! I had to do some extra planning for the fic and therefore had to be careful with this update. I hope you guys/girls enjoyed it though! Sorry for lack of Piers and Helena in this chapter, I was only able to plug in a small part so you could get an idea of what they're up to.

Next chapter will be the Christmas chapter yay! I might stretch it into two chaps again like I did for Halloween but it all depends. Btw, a LEMON is in the midst – is everyone okay with that? It could be next chapter or the one following as I may split it in two.

SHOUTOUT to Lone Wolf Man who was a lucky and awesome enough to have been to Finland! *hugs* I'll be sure to plug in a more thorough skii trip for everyone in the future for you.

Btw, the town they are staying in was a name of an airport used in Resident Evil: Revelations XD I recognized the Finnish name and thought hey it could work!

Next chapter Jake and Sherry meet Jill, Jessica, Parker and Chris! [Sherry knows Chris but you know – surprise, surprise! Oh and Rebecca and Billy finally arrive next chap too!] So… what costume will the two wear?

I'm thinking the Mr. and Mrs. Claus but then again the Grinch Jake would be funny – topped off with a Sugarplum Fairy aka Sherry and Marlowe as Frosty the snowman… Gosh I would just about die of laughter to see a pic of that!

I don't know what I'll pick yet but here's a _maybe_ spoiler… but which will I pick is the question! XD Read next chap and find out!

Options:

Jake – The Grinch, Abominable Snowman/Yeti, Jack Frost, Santa, or the Nutcracker.

Sherry – Rudolph, Elf, Mrs. Clause, or a Sugarplum Fairy.

Marlowe – Elf, Frosty the Snowman, little drummer boy, or the Gingerbread Man.

R&R and I'll see you guys/girls soon!

-Vio


	17. Christmas Wishes

[Warning: This chapter contains **mature content**]

* * *

Chapter 16:

Christmas Spirit (Part One)

* * *

The Christmas party was in two days but already the Wesker home felt overcrowded. Wesker and Jake had hired workers for decorations once again and while they adorned the abode in the holiday spirit, Marlowe and the women were instructed to literally stay out of the way so they could finish their jobs by the following day.

The three stayed in the upstairs rooms for easy access to the family room, Marlowe and Sherry's bedroom, and of course Stephanie's favorite spot - the sewing room.

Sherry was in the kitchen area of the family room preparing a cheese sandwich for Marlowe when Stephanie walked in. The auburn haired woman observed Marlowe quietly completing a Sudoku puzzle by the computer desk and closed in to kiss his soft blonde hair as a greeting.

"Hi mom!" he grinned to her and returned to his puzzle.

Sherry hadn't noticed her before that and jumped some. "O-oh, hi ma'am." the petite girl offered a smile. "Would you like something? I was just preparing Marlowe a snack."

Stephanie shook her head, bundling herself up some more with the wool shawl over her shoulders. "I'm fine, I was just wondering would you mind helping me dust off some of the woodworks in the hallway is all, but I see you're busy so we can deal with that later." she ruffled Marlowe's hair earning her a huff in response so she chuckled. "You sure know how to hit the books, don't you Marlowe?"

"He's been studying like a madman all morning." Sherry said as she removed his sandwich from the hot pan. "If I didn't beg, he wouldn't even eat this - but he's going to have to since he hasn't eaten in a few hours. After this it's naptime and then I can help you dust, ma'am."

"Alright, in the meantime I'll be in the sewing room - I've got something to finish stitching before the day of the party." the older woman said and exited quietly.

Sherry sat Marlowe's plate on the countertop and clapped. "Okay little mister - it's time to eat so you can take a little nap. You know you can't skip meals or sleep because you get very, very grouchy."

"Leave me alone." he retorted, filling in the last number to the puzzle. He spun the chair around and hopped out of it to run over. "Okay, now I'm hungry!"

Sherry wasn't sure if she should laugh or just shake her head at his fierce dedication to finishing everything he started. It was an excellent quality in someone… but a baby like himself…?

He was really quite the character.

* * *

Sherry wiped along the woodworks with a damp old rag, Stephanie was behind her cleaning the windows with paper towels and Windex; both were dressed head to toe in their working attire [sweats, old shoes, hair scarves and rubber gloves] and were covered in dust, dirt and sweat.

The two worked in silence until Sherry spoke. "I'm really glad that your health has improved so much ma'am." she said a little breathlessly. Despite what Jake believed, she actually got quite the workout just doing house chores.

Her arms felt a little sore from scrubbing so much but her healing abilities were helping to ease the pain. She wiped the tiny beads of sweat from her forehead with her shirt and leaned against the wall to fan herself and cool down. "Gosh, I'm bushed…" she mumbled.

Stephanie smiled, taking the broom and dustpan from the utility closet next to the bathroom. They were in the hallway just before the granite bathroom across from Marlowe and Sherry's room. "Yes I'm feeling very energized today. I guess there's just something about the holiday's that brings me so much peace..." she started to sweep the floors.

_Or maybe it's my influence. _Sherry considered but thought better than to speak it. "May I ask why, ma'am? I'm just curious… because I like that Christmas is a time of giving, getting and spending time with loved ones."

"Funny, I feel the same way – I love that Christmas brings friends and families together."

Sherry nodded. "It's the perfect time of year for it."

"Indeed, I just want us all to be together this year – for Marlowe's first Christmas."

"Forgive me ma'am, but is that why you told Jake to reconsider the nurse?" Sherry asked nervously. "I mean, I understand that wholeheartedly if that's why… so we can feed him all of our attention right?"

Stephanie stopped and let out a sigh. Sherry bit her lip fearful she'd spoken out of bounds to her boss's estranged wife. "That's _part_ of it... I also just don't want some _stranger _caring for me."

"I understand..." _She must have known Rebecca for a while to trust her so much._

"I won't lie to you, I do have a slight problem with the idea of another woman in this house." she admitted and it caught Sherry off guard enough that she had to shake her head to prevent dropping her jaw.

"Ma'am - forgive me but is that really justifiable?" she asked. "You could be risking your health…"

"Of course it's justifiable." the older woman shot back firmly. Sherry flinched, Stephanie observed this and seemed to mellow out immediately. "I'm sorry it's just - well it isn't easy being the wife of such an influential man like Albert. Women frolic to him and he's not above using them for his own means..."

Sherry recalled Excella's words about the Wesker men and their fidelity. She took them into consideration for the moment. "Ma'am, I'm not sure if this will help much but someone very close to Mr. Wesker informed me of his fidelity one day... they told me that the men of the Wesker bloodline are loyal to their women and that once they find a special one - there isn't anything that can tear them away."

Stephanie sent her a peculiar stare but suddenly she appeared to sadden... "I... just have trouble believing that. I wish I could but it isn't easy."

"Why?" the slender blonde asked, coming up to face her.

"It's a lot more complicated than you could** ever **imagine." she replied slowly.

Sherry couldn't help but feel a strangling tightness in her chest when she heard that. It always seemed like there were so many secrets to the Wesker family and she was starting to feel weary. Excella had told her Wesker was being faithful but now Sherry was beginning to wonder had the woman lied to cover him.

_What exactly is going on here? Why is Mrs. Stephanie so antagonistic to the idea of other women - could she just be insecure? What if the reason why she ran away with Jake when he was a baby was because Mr. Wesker may have cheated on her...? Or… could Ms. Excella have lied to me to cover up something...?_

* * *

Later that evening, Jake walked along the deck and stopped in front of Sherry's doors to knock twice. He heard her give permission for him to enter and slid one side open and pushed through the curtains, closing the door behind him. Her room was dark besides the light from the TV and the dimly lit fireplace to keep the room at a comfortable temperature.

Sherry was in her bed with her back pressed against a pile of pillows behind her. She was covered from the waist down by her bed sheets, Jake could only make out that she was wearing a long-sleeved fitted shirt with a turtleneck. In her lap was a bowl of popcorn which she stopped munching on upon his entrance.

Sherry noted that Jake was dressed quite comfortably. He wore solid black pajama bottoms with matching house shoes and a robe that looked soft to the touch. She blushed upon noticing she could still see the outlines and shapes of his muscular form through his attire.

"Hey Supergirl," he greeted with a smirk.

"Hi baby," she sang sweetly. "Gosh, you brought cold air in here with you." Jake laughed at her and her eyes traveled to the wooden box in his arm. It was sealed with a cute white ribbon. "What's that?"

Jake came to sit beside her on the bed, she sat the bowl of popcorn on her nightstand and then gave the man a sweet kiss on the lips before giving him her undivided attention. "Got something for you." he held out the box.

Sherry was elated but confused. "It's a bit early for a Christmas gift giving isn't it?" she asked cutely.

He shrugged. "It's not from me - it's from that evil chick."

She laughed. "I'm guessing it's my costume for the party... Oh boy."

"Want me to leave?" he asked once she removed the ribbon to peek inside. It was late and he was curious if she were too tired to be bothered. He certainly didn't want to go.

"No..." she said with a blush, she put the box on the floor. "I... I want you to stay with me for a while." she whispered into his ear. She hadn't got to see him much and just wanted him to spend a little time with her.

Jake chuckled and got cozy next to her after she scooted over. She settled next to him, resting her head on his shoulder, she sighed against the exposed skin of his neck. He hummed while wrapping an arm around her middle. "You cold or something? I mean, why not come out from under the comforter?" he asked quietly, half-watching the TV.

"I'm only wearing panties..." she answered honestly but meekly. "The baby isn't too far away and I don't want to tempt you into anything..."

"Just hearing that turns me on though." Jake replied with a devious smirk.

Sherry rolled her eyes. "Oh hush, by the way - what's your costume for the party?"

Jake grinned with mischief. "No, no, no - I can't spoil the surprise baby girl."

Sherry giggled and just snuggled closer to her man. "Fine, I'll be patient - but you better not be the Grinch who stole Christmas."

"Oh trust me, I'm definitely not him."

The two were quiet for some time, enjoying each other's company. Jake broke that silence when he whispered into Sherry's hair. "Baby girl...?"

"Hmm?" Sherry softly responded.

"What's your idea of a wonderful Christmas?" he asked while gently rubbing circular motions along her spine with his finger.

She hummed as she pondered this. Jake waited patiently, discreetly listening to her thoughts as they stirred about in her subconscious. He noticed a lot of her thoughts drifted from him, to Marlowe, and eventually settled on the two of them as well as Leon and Claire.

_This would be her first Christmas without them since they took her in. _Jake considered quietly. _I'm sure she'd love to have them here with her... After all, they're the only parents she knows._

Jake gave her a comforting squeeze when he felt moisture upon is chest. He could feel her pain, her happiness, her confusion. "Jake, just seeing you and Marlowe happy is enough for me."

"Then why are you crying Supergirl?" he asked gently into her hair again.

"I-I don't know..." she murmured while sobbing.

Jake lifted her chin delicately with his hand calloused by fist fights and battles. He gazed tenderly into her watery eyes and could just quite literally feel her submitting to him once again. She was displaying her emotional fragility because she trusted him and saw him as someone who truly cared for her. He would never take advantage of her and he knew she wouldn't either.

The hot-blooded redhead remembered why he stopped fighting pointless battles with criminals, getting in trouble with the law, and only thinking of himself. He stopped all of it because of the woman in his arms; the woman who helped him see that fighting for a worthy cause was better than anything else, who pulled him away from the life of crime he once lived by captivating him with her awkward charms, the woman who showed him that she would give her all for him and his family - while wanting nothing in return but for him to support his brother.

She never asked for diamonds, expensive clothes or anything to tear him down financially even though he informed her of his wealth. Still, she wouldn't ask - she just gave him whatever she could without much issue. She never asked for anything from him except trust.

Trust was exactly what he'd given her. He trusted the girl who shared so much in common with himself because she was in a way different than him. She was optimistic, docile and benign while he'd been somewhat of a pessimist, unpredictable and cold. She changed him into a more considerate person while he had shown her what the world was truly like outside of the sheltered lifestyle she once lived.

Jake adored this woman with everything he had. _I promise you, I'll do whatever I can for you and you don't have to say a word for me to do it. _His lips descended upon hers slowly, his thumbs lovingly wiped away her tears as he cupped her face.

_I know how you feel about me Sherry and I... feel the same, but I can't confess how I feel for you just yet... not until complete at least one task that I know will make you smile._

* * *

The party day arrived and everyone was up bright and early to prepare. It was 7:45 [7: 45 am] when Sherry met with Jake in the foyer with Marlowe by her side, the party was scheduled to start at 16:00 [4:00 pm] so they had to get an early start.

The two blondes were baffled by the decor and Jake smiled proudly at the fact that his ideas were once again stunning people into awe.

There was so much holiday merit to behold! Lights of many colors flourished the abode and the floors in the front room were covered with synthetic ice and snow. A giant Christmas tree surrounded by hundreds of gift boxes protruded from the center of the room behind the fireplace. It was embellished beautifully with so many lights and decorations, the lovely twirling gold star on top lit up the entire room. Sherry noticed that even the moose head over the fireplace wore a Santa hat and all the lamps had red and green bulbs in them.

There was a machine underneath the stairs, sticking out from the door that usually lead to the first floor laundry room. She realized it was the snow maker when puffs of white crystals shot into the air. Marlowe went to chase some as they scattered and she followed him, noting that there were a lot more tables in the front room now, with cups, plates and party favors on them.

"My God..." she breathed with sparkles in her eyes. "If this is the front room, what's the rest of the house look like?"

Stephanie, Marlowe and herself hadn't been allowed to leave the first floor for two whole days [well she and Marlowe couldn't come downstairs but Stephanie's bedroom was down there through the same hallway the luxury kitchen was located – therefore she had the right to do what she pleased] so she had no idea how everything else looked.

"You'll have to wait and see Supergirl," Jake replied with a smile. He hugged her and rocked back and forth mumbling sweet things to her and kissing her hair. "Come on, you've got some cooking to do because at 13:00 [1:00 pm], you're gonna be attacked..." he growled the last part.

"_Attacked_?" Sherry echoed with big eyes, following behind him. She saw Stephanie come from the formal dining room behind Jake and greet Marlowe with open arms, picking him up and showering him with kisses. When she disappeared back inside the dining room, Sherry returned her attention back to her boyfriend.

"That evil chick is coming by to get you to do whatever you ladies need to do for the party." Jake said as he gestured her towards the dining room behind his mother, they made a straight line from the staircase to it.

The formal dining room was long and wide with a table seated for 12. Its usual simple decor of animal skins, candles and the smell of wood were transformed by Christmas decorations and the smell of pine trees. Stockings hung from the chimney in here, they were filled with candies.

The table was set up with plates, cups and napkins of the holiday's liking, snow globes were present as well, and giant candy canes were hooked to each chair. The animal skins were replaced with Frosty the Snowman mats and rugs of _Yeti_ skins.

They passed through here and entered the first floor corridor. On the immediate right was the luxury kitchen but there were many more rooms passed it - bedrooms, Wesker's office, bathrooms and of course more lounge rooms.

The two entered the luxury kitchen.

It had wooden cabinets, drawers and a freezer embedded into the cabinet walls with a see through glass, the fridge was right beside it and made of chrome. The floors were a pretty cream color tile with matching countertops.

The island center had two chairs made of wood in front of it with red seat covers. There was a square table made of wood as well with four chairs surrounding it. A table for rolling bread was present and the sink, oven and counters where far into the room against the wall nearby the basement door.

The kitchen also had Christmas decorations; lights, pictures of the gingerbread man and candy canes where everywhere.

Stephanie was already laying supplies out onto the island while humming a soft melodic tune. Marlowe was in the high chair close to her occupying himself with a coloring book.

Jake gave Sherry a warm hug and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. "I'll leave you two alone to do your thing." He ruffled Marlowe's hair a little and hugged his mother before leaving.

Sherry watched him go and then went to join Stephanie. "Um, okay ma'am, is there anything you'd like to make? I was thinking I could make all the different types of cookies and make some candies... if that's alright with you?"

Stephanie smiled sending her a nod. "I'll handle dinner then, I'll make hams, turkeys, chickens and other foods. I'll leave all the desserts in your capable hands."

"Sounds great."

"And I'll be the taster!" Marlowe volunteered with a big grin. The women laughed and broke out the cook books.

"Okay Sherry," Stephanie started and handed the girl a book of Finnish delights. "This book has the perfect setup for gingerbread houses and other things like chocolate surprises and even..." she shuttered a bit. "Fruit cakes."

Sherry was amused by her sense of humor. "Thanks, I'll get straight to work." she figured she would start by preparing the most difficult dessert first and work from there.

"And I'll wait patiently for you to finish!" Marlowe chimed while coloring the suit of a Santa Claus picture with a red pencil.

The women laughed at his enthusiasm.

* * *

It was thirty minutes to 13:00 [1:00 pm] and Sherry was waiting in the upstairs family room for Excella to arrive. In her hands was the box containing her so called 'costume' courtesy of an overzealous 'guardian' as one might call the Italian beauty.

Sherry had no idea who or what she was supposed to be with this costume. There was a lot of pink to it and she couldn't make out what exactly was her shirt or skirt or whatever... Everything seemed so lightweight, see-through and like scarves almost. She made out a lot of ribbons, a lot of jewelry, glitter and what looked like ballet shoes.

She considered asking Jake but trashed the idea once she decided she wanted to surprise him with the outfit like he was for her. Marlowe said it looked like some sort of ballerina 'thing', Stephanie just giggled at her and said how much she couldn't wait to see her wear it.

There was no way she had the nerve to ask Wesker...

Speaking of which, said Wesker entered the family room and saw her sitting on the couch. He gestured her over and informed her of Excella's arrival. Sherry exited the room quickly to meet the woman downstairs in the foyer.

As she descended the stairs she noticed Excella's instantly, she was wearing a long coat made of animal fur, it was unzipped and exposed the fitted turtleneck dress that stopped way before her mid-thighs and had a triangle shaped vacancy on her chest displaying her **overly**-ample bosom.

"Mistress," she greeted with a smirk. "Come here."

Sherry saw that she wasn't alone. There were to other women in her presence, one she was quite familiar with. Both were easily of the same stature as Excella, both brunettes but their style was opposite. One had long wavy hair and eyes one might attribute to the color of ice; she dressed on par with Excella - feminine but revealing. The other was more conservatively dressed and had her hair tied back into a ponytail, she had a kind smile and an easy-going air about her [as always – from Sherry's experiences with her].

Sherry knew this girl as Jill Valentine; she was the close friend [if not lover] of Claire's brother, Chris Redfield. They had met a few times whenever Sherry and Claire would visit. She knew Jill as a cheerful, independent woman with skills learned in the BSAA to back up her impressive wits.

"Jill!" Sherry greeted her with a smile and had the courage to actually hug the taller woman.

Jill laughed lightly. "Well hi there, Sherry! It's been quite a while hasn't it?"

Sherry nodded and Excella cut in with raised brow. "Jill? How do you know the Mistress?" Sherry blushed at the pet-name the woman was adamant about giving her.

"It's a long story but we met a few times in the company of friends." Jill replied.

"How do you two know each other?" Sherry inquired with a smile.

"Excella is in charge of Tricell, they're a company that provides funding for the BSAA. Sometimes Excella and I would meet for coffee, eventually we became friends and I also work as her right hand assistant from time to time." Jill answered.

"She makes a great bodyguard as well." Excella added, batting her lashes at Jill; the brunette laughed while shaking her head.

"Argh, Jill - do you always have to be buddy-buddy with everyone?" the other woman groaned with disinterest, folding her arms behind her head. "Epic place here though, loving this decor - it screams creativity." she purred.

"Mistress, since you already know Jill let me introduce you to Jessica Sherawat. She does everything involving beauty care - she will be in charge of helping you get ready for the celebration." Excella explained.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Sherawat." Sherry held out her hand to shake Jessica's but the woman sighed and rolled her eyes. The petite blonde slowly retracted her hand with her feelings a bit hurt.

"Skip the formal b.s. - just call me Jessica." she stepped up and grabbed Sherry's chin not too gently to stare her hard in the face. "Hm, you've got some big blue eyes you know that?"

"Uh..."

"Just like the deep blue sea - only your eyes look like a child's. How old are you like 16?"

"I-I'm 22, ma'am." Sherry answered meekly.

Jessica looked taken aback. "Whoa... what's your secret?! You got some sort of aging problem maybe? You don't look anything like a _woman_…" Ouch, that hurt Sherry quite a bit…

Jill cut in with a sigh. "Jessica come on, stop being a critic."

Jessica rolled her eyes at Jill and observed Sherry's delicate features even more; Sherry nervously avoided her gaze and trembled against her will. "Hm, you've got some very pretty skin, too - you're like milk and honey. Long lashes, pretty lips... hm... I think I can work with this girl. Okay show me where to set up."

"Come," Excella said leading the women upstairs. Sherry wondered how she knew where to go but said nothing assuming she must have been there before. "There's a special compartment inside the Mistress's closet."

_What? Okay, I know about the walk-in part but what's she talking about? _Sherry wondered as she followed behind the other women.

She felt self-conscious; maybe it was because of Jessica's words about her appearance. Sherry knew she had a very youthful face and appearance and had grown used to being behind the other girls in those departments, but walking with these tall, long haired beauties with high-cheek bones and their air of unbridled confidence was quite intimidating.

_Don't be silly Sherry, you're fine just the way you are. Besides, they're much older than you and have had enough time to grow into their skin - thus they have pride in themselves for who they are. Your time will come... it just takes time..._

When the three cut through Marlowe's section of the room and ascended up the stairs into Sherry's, she felt relieved that she'd remembered to clean up her room before leaving earlier - otherwise it would have been embarrassing to have people in her cluttered room.

Jill commented on the extravagancy of the home and admired Sherry's room. The delicate blonde simply thanked her and trailed into her walk-in closet behind the others. Sherry hadn't spent much time in here, she wasn't used to luxuries like these so she couldn't bring herself to use it too much.

Excella handed her coat to Sherry to hang up and the other women did the same. Sherry hung them quietly but was shocked when she saw Excella pull a set of cabinets from a wall. She had no idea that wasn't a simple wall...

It opened like a cabinet and inside was a wall of makeups, combs, brushes, hairdryers, and other beauty supplies. Sherry was dumbfounded, what else did she not know about? Did her bathroom secretly lead to an aquarium?

_That would be nice... _she thought but rejected it instantly. _Gosh, Jake shouldn't have given me my own bathroom... he spoiled me._

Excella sat a chair in front of the cabinets and presented it to everyone. "Here, this is a perfect spot, isn't it? Excellent lighting, full body mirrors and all the supplies you need - now get busy Jessica, I have to get prepared as well no later than 15:00 [3:00 pm]." Excella reached into her expensive purse and pulled out a piece of paper to hand to the other woman. "Use your imagination dear, but something like this would be excellent."

_What's that? _Sherry wondered while trying to have a look at the picture. Jill pulled her back and shook her head, mentioning it was a 'surprise'.

Jessica tossed her long hair over one shoulder and let out a huff. "Alright then, first things first _Mistress_," Sherry wasn't sure how to feel about two people calling her that. "Strip down and let's get you showered."

Sherry was petrified. "W-What? I already showered this morning..." she protested meekly.

Jessica scoffed, rolling her icy eyes. "Oh my God, I know what I'm doing girl. Do as I say." she gripped the bottom of Sherry's sweater dress to tug it over her head.

The smaller woman squeaked and tried to fight Jessica off but it was futile. She yanked her wool leggings down easily and left Sherry standing mortified in her simple white bra and panties. She covered herself as best as she could - she felt exposed and uncomfortable.

"Try not to give her a hard time, Mistress." Excella sounded out, sitting beside Jill on the bench used for trying on shoes. "She knows what she's doing."

* * *

Jessica scrubbed Sherry's skin until it felt raw - if it weren't for her healing ability, she was sure she would be skinless with how rough Jessica was. She was even harsher when washing her hair! Her scalp was sore for a moment but again her powers kicked in and she recovered.

After the shower, she wrapped a towel around the petite girl and hauled her half-naked behind back into the closet where Jill and Excella sat drinking hot cocoa from a thermos Jill had brought with her while discussing what Sherry thought sounded like travel related talk.

Jessica sat Sherry in the chair in front of the studio, pulled a thin toothed comb from a drawer and started combing Sherry's short wet tresses. The girl tore up her face in agony as it felt her scalp was about to be ripped off. After the painful treatment, her hair was blow-dried and Jessica moved on. Sherry noticed her hair seemed much lighter, shinier and maybe longer but not too much.

Her stylist asked Jill to hand her Sherry's undergarments. Her jaw dropped when she saw Jill place a pink lace thong into Jessica's hand. Sherry didn't care that it was a thong, [she was getting used to dressing provocative] she was just fascinated by the pretty golden and magenta colored gems around the top of it.

Jessica demanded Sherry put it on and she did under her towel. The stylist ripped the towel away and left Sherry standing with her arms covering her bosom, face red like a cherry. Jill then offered her a strapless bra; it was silk with lace that matched the thong around the under part of the cups. In the center was another golden heart like the ones around the thong, Sherry touched it out of curiosity. Jessica fastened the bra on very tight and Sherry struggled to breathe while she did so.

The young woman was ordered to stand up straight and tall while Jessica applied very pale make-up to her entire body. She painted her arms, back, stomach, legs, chest, neck and finally her face. Sherry thought she looked almost ghostly from the glimpse she caught in the mirror.

Then she applied some dark eye shadow with mascara to her eyes, and painted her bottom lip so it stuck out rosier than normal compared to her pale makeup. She added some glitter around her eyes and stuck a few gems to the skin between her brows. She feathered her hair for a style and then went to work on the costume.

Sherry stood patiently as the woman wrapped her up with ribbons, loose materials and some jewelry but not much.

Finally she instructed Sherry to put on the ballet shoes and clapped her hands.

"There! A masterpiece!" Jessica took a dramatic bow and smiled. "I'm so glad I went to school for this!"

Sherry stood with a shy smile on her face. She wanted to look at herself but wanted to see Excella and Jill's reaction first. They were clapping and looked incredibly impressed, Jill came over to look her over more than once and even took a picture with her phone.

"You look like an actual fairy! So pretty!" she sang while admiring the smaller woman.

"Excellent work, Jessica." Excella said taking Sherry's hand and leading her straight to a mirror. "You look beautiful, no? The _perfect_ Sugar Plum Fairy."

Sherry's jaw dropped - she couldn't believe this transformation. Her bra had a huge pink ribbon around the bottom and tied behind her back in a big bow. Her bottoms weren't really... bottoms. The top of her thong [well the jewels] were exposed but she had more pink sheer materials loosely attached to it, Sherry would attribute this 'skirt' to being almost like toga - it was consistent of multiple thin layers and tied around her thong... how odd.

She had ribbons around her wrists and a choker around her neck. Her hair styled so that she had a bang over one brow [perhaps so her eye makeup wouldn't be ruined].

"Wow... I look..."

"Lovely!" Jessica cut in with a proud smirk. "Now thank me - I don't work for just anyone girl." Sherry tried to hug her but she halted her. "Nope, that makeup needs at least hour on you before you should touch anyone and if you sit down, make sure you don't press your back, arms or anything against anything. Sit flat on your bottom little girl, got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Sherry said with a smile. "Thank you so much."

Jessica gave her a thumbs up. "No problem, now - we've gotta go get ourselves ready so we'll see you at the party."

Excella stood and beckoned the women to follow. "Come girls, we'll show ourselves out."

After they left, Sherry sat down on the bench in her closet and just waited…

While she sat there, she couldn't help but think this was all quite _unnecessary_. What was the point in dressing up as a fairy or whatever for Christmas when a simple Santa or elf costume would have sufficed? This was excessive and just didn't feel like Christmas for the small blonde woman.

She felt awful for thinking this way but she couldn't help it. _A Halloween party is one thing, but a Christmas party…? Why do this?_ She wondered. She couldn't even wrap her mind around what was bothering her so much about all of this…

She stood up and looked herself over in the mirror. _What's the point of dressing up like this? Claire's always told me Christmas was the season of giving… what am I giving Marlowe or Jake, or anyone by wearing this? _

She thought she looked very pretty but Christmas wasn't about looking pretty to her. It wasn't about dressing up either – it was about family.

Sherry felt empty, there was something uncomfortable about this for her. _I'm so used to spending this holiday with loved ones, making wishes, giving and getting presents… this just feels so wrong._

The dainty blonde thought of how much time and energy was put into planning this Christmas party and came to see that it all could have been avoided in favor of something more. The decorations and things were fine, but planning these dinners to feed strangers and dressing up to indulge them… what was the point of it all?

In the months she'd been working for the Wesker's, Sherry couldn't really recall a time when they all actually sat down and ate dinner together as a family. She'd done that all the time when she stayed with Claire. And another thing that bothered her was the costumes and parties – things that weren't really necessary and seemed to tear them all further apart.

For the Halloween party, Stephanie wasn't well enough to participate so that wasn't contestable but poor little Marlowe was locked away in a room with other kids, unable to join the party because the adults were doing their thing and wanted the kids out of the way.

It broke Sherry's heart as she remembered how she almost let him down, how she almost was unable to take him trick or treating – luckily Jake came through for her but the blonde woman felt appalled by the idea of that happening again.

Marlowe deserved to have a wonderful first Christmas and these parties weren't what he needed. He needed his family. Sherry remembered Stephanie's words about how she just wanted the family together for the child's first Christmas and felt a resolve inside her.

Sherry checked the clock in her bedroom and confirmed it had finally been an hour since the makeup was applied and now knew she could leave her room. She didn't want to risk Marlowe getting affectionate and touching her with the paint raw… but she was starting not to care too much.

Because at the end of the day, she knew Marlowe didn't care for these costumes and parties, he just wanted to experience Christmas and Sherry just wished she could get a chance to show him what Christmas was really all about. No parties, no costumes – just togetherness.

_Oh, and Santa, because kids love Santa._

She was careful as she walked down the stairs. At the bottom she noticed there were more extra's laid out.

All the foods she'd prepared had finished before Stephanie's did and she could see that Jake had already set them out with covers over them until the party began. Sherry recalled it was a little after 15:00 [3:00 pm] - the party would be starting soon... So where was everyone?

"Nanny Bear!" Marlowe cheered, running from the dining room. Sherry was both shocked and amused when she saw his costume. She knew who this character was and he was a very cute version of Frosty the Snowman. His body was covered in an inflatable white balloon, he had a tie, a hat, and carrot nose.

"Awww! Mar you look so cute!" she squealed, hugging him but not tightly.

"You look pretty! You're the Sugar Plum Fairy aren't you?" he asked with a smile.

"I don't really know who she is..." Sherry answered, taking his hand and moving to the dining room.

"She was in_ The Nutcracker_, she's a dancing ballerina fairy who rules the Land of Sweets." he said.

_Ironic but I guess it's appropriate. I prepared all the sweets after all. _Sherry mused with a giggle. "Well, let's just hope I don't have to actually do ballet. I'm not much of a dancer..."

Just then, Stephanie emerged from the kitchen looking quite upset.

"Ma'am, what's the matter?" Sherry asked worriedly.

Stephanie had to do a double take towards her. "Wow, look at the pretty sugar fairy." she humored briefly before sighing. "No really you look lovely Sherry... but I'm afraid this party won't be happening..."

Sherry froze in shock. "_What_? Why?"

Stephanie wiped her hands off on her apron while shaking her head. "There's a horrible storm coming in the next hour. The weather reports have us under blizzard warnings of high levels."

The fairy girl was in disbelief. "Oh my God, why didn't they report this earlier?"

"The warnings were going on but they were minor, it didn't seem serious at first so it didn't show up until an hour ago. I was looking for you because Jake wanted me to tell you about it. Albert caught his business partner, Excella right before she and her assistants left. He informed her to call each and every last guest and tell them it's been cancelled."

The three heard footsteps approaching and Wesker emerged around the corner with another male Sherry thought looked extremely familiar but he was painted all over as pale as she was and had tints of blue to him - he looked like an iceman. He had a wolf's skin over his shoulders with the animal's mouth over his head and he was topless wearing pants with hints of other animal skins.

It took her a minute to register this guy but there was no mistaking that smirk.

"Hey Supergirl!"

"J-Jake?" she passed Stephanie and looked at her boyfriend with fascinated eyes. She totally forgot Wesker was even present - she was too enthralled by Jake, he looked like a winter God or something so she had to work hard to not drool over him. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"I _was_ going to be Jack Frost." he answered with a smile, his cerulean eyes were even more dazzling as they stood out among the pale makeup on him.

"Wow..." she breathed with a giddy grin. _No idea who that is. _She thought.

"Jack Frost is kind of like old man winter – he's the guy people blame for blizzards and snowstorms." Jake told her, he could tell she had no clue who Jack Frost was.

Marlowe tugged on his brother's pants leg. "Why do you get to look cool and I gotta be fat?" he asked with a pout.

"Because, you're still a kid." Jake said ruffling his hair with the hat he wore.

"Miss Birkin," Wesker started. "I'm sure Stephanie has informed you of the circumstances?" Sherry nodded. "While postponing this event would be convenient, I'm afraid this storm could very well last well into the next week."

"It's that bad of a storm?" Sherry asked incredulously.

"Finland's snowstorms are extreme." Jake added with a sigh. "Looks like all this preparation was for nothing."

"It must have been a lot of money put into this huh?" asked Sherry with hesitance.

"Huh? No, no, no - all this stuff was already here in the house." Jake replied. "The snow machine, the tree - that's all been here, we just had to set it up and hang all the lights which we would have done either way around."

"It seems Jack Frost is _literally_ paying us a visit." Stephanie joked to ease the mood. It did earn her a few laughs from Sherry but Wesker was as stiff as ever and Jake and Marlowe both were visibly upset.

"Yeah, I picked a bad time to wear this didn't I?" Jake groaned with a shake of his head.

Wesker turned away and started back towards his office. "I'll be in my quarters, Stephanie, feel free to join me whenever you please."

"I'll try to remember that," Stephanie said patting his back as he left. "But I will be showing Rebecca and Billy around and to their rooms so if I forget I apologize." Wesker hummed a response and took his leave.

"Rebecca's here?" Sherry asked with a look of delight, it had been quite some time since she'd seen or heard from her.

Stephanie nodded. "She's in the basement right now with Billy, they were expecting a party too so you have to imagine their surprise. They just made it maybe 20 minutes ago."

"So I'm guessing now that your buddy's here you feel happy right mom?" Jake teased with a dry tone.

"Oh course, Rebecca's not only my caretaker, she and I have been friends since we were in high school. I hate the storm stranded her and Billy here but to spend a few days with them before the storm's over sounds excellent. Not to mention we need some extra help eating all this extra food Sherry and I prepared."

"Come on, let's go see them." Jake said and beckoned everyone towards the kitchen. They reached the stairs and descended to see that even the basement had holiday decorations. Rebecca and her fiancé Billy were sitting on the couch watching _The Grinch Who Stole Christmas_ on the big screen TV. They'd been watching it with Marlowe until the super kid picked up on Sherry's presence and went to find her.

Rebecca came up and hugged Sherry with a bright smile, Billy shook her hand firm and strong - it was easy to tell this officer was once in the marines. "Great to see you again." they both said.

Sherry smiled in return. "Yeah, it's been a while."

"Who would've thought we'd make it just in time." Billy said.

"Yeah, luckily we packed enough clothing for a week." said Rebecca. "Sorry we'll be stuck with you for a few days."

"It's no problem," Stephanie said with a smile. "We have a lovely guest room I'm sure would be perfect for you two."

_I never would have guessed the party would have been cancelled. _Sherry thought to herself. _Is it wrong of me to feel… happy?_

Sherry glanced down at Marlowe and saw him tearing up and it broke her heart. "What's wrong Mar?" she asked him sweetly.

"The party is cancelled so does that mean Christmas is cancelled too?" He asked her with big eyes swelling with tears.

Sherry picked him up and held him. "Hey now, don't cry - even if the party's cancelled that doesn't mean you still can't have a Christmas all your own sweetheart."

The child sniffed. "Really?"

She nodded. "Listen Mar, I didn't have a Christmas until I was 18 and moved in with Claire. My very first Christmas experience consisted of me making dinner with her and receiving gifts... I'd never been to a party and believe me when I say the gifts I was given were well appreciated - but the best part of that day was that I got to spend it with people who actually cared for me."

"Really?" he asked again with interest.

"Yes of course. Christmas parties and gifts are wonderful but Christmas is really about spending time with the people you love most." she looked at Stephanie and received a nod of acknowledge from her.

Jake felt tightness in his chest. The weather didn't ruin just Marlowe's day, it ruined his as well. He'd planned for Claire and Leon to come see Sherry but Leon was working a case and unable to. Claire on the other hand was an eager participant but when news came of the storm, Steve and him had agreed it would be too risky to fly her over - private jet or not.

_Shit... I really wanted to make her happy... _Jake felt like a failure and he hated that.

He needed to go and blow off some steam before he did something crazy.

"We'll have fun and just enjoy each other's company, Mar - how does that sound?" Sherry chirped cutely.

"Sounds great!" Marlowe shouted happily.

"I need to go." Jake said suddenly and departed for the stairs.

Sherry could see the fumes radiating off of him and felt worried. She begged Stephanie to look after Marlowe for a moment and she raced after her boyfriend as quickly as her legs could carry her.

She caught up to him in the front room as he was starting up the stairs. "Jake wait!"

He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. "What?" his response was cold, earning a flinch from Sherry.

"What's the matter?" she approached him and wrapped her arms around his middle. "Please talk to me, I hate seeing you upset."

Jake fidgeted from her embrace, her touch was calming him and he didn't want that at the moment, he was upset and really needed a moment to himself. "It's nothing I just need some space. I gotta wash off this paint and take care of something."

She looked quite hurt by his rejection. "Jake... I'll give you your space, but please promise me we'll talk about this before Christmas. …I need your help cheering up Marlowe..."

He was really trying to stay patient but he lost it. "Dammit! Why are you _always_ worried about everyone else?! What about you?! What about how you feel...?"

Sherry couldn't believe him. "Jake... what's gotten into you?" she asked slowly.

He didn't answer, he just stormed off leaving her alone on the stairs.

* * *

Sherry spent time with Marlowe alone. They watched movies, ate candy and out of his request, Sherry kept her costume on. They ate dinner with Rebecca, Billy and Stephanie and it was a pleasant one too. Everyone talked about various topics and shared laughs.

Incredibly, Stephanie offered to take Marlowe off her hands for the rest of the evening. Sherry agreed upon seeing how excited Marlowe was to spend time with his mom. She went to his room and gave her some of his pajamas so that he could sleep with her for the night.

By the time she'd given up the baby, she was quite tired. She'd played with Marlowe, cooked, served and stuffed herself with sweets enough for one day...

The delicate blonde retreated to her room for the night after bidding everyone a good evening. She climbed the stairs to her section of the room and planned to shower, dress and then text Claire, Piers and Helena a little before calling it a night.

She dug through her dresser drawers for some pajamas to put on and was shocked when she realized all of her panties were missing and replaced with lacy things. Her bras were missing too! She noticed a small note on the top of her dresser and read it.

_**Hope you like your new intimates - your old ones left a lot to be desired. - Excella **_

_This woman's out to get me! _Sherry thought with a sigh. _There's no way I can be comfortable sleeping in a _thong_... _

Her cellphone began to sound out and she quickly raced to it to answer. "Hello?" she answered.

"Hey Sherry!"

Sherry smiled. "Hi Claire, how are you?" She returned to her drawers to settle on wearing a t-shirt she'd taken from Jake to bed, skipping underwear and a bra for the night.

"I'm alright, just worried about you."

Her fingers ran over the shirt and she felt her heart sink. She hated not knowing what was going through her boyfriend's mind. He was such a moody guy and while she accepted that quality about him without issue, she still wished he could open up to her instead of switching moods so suddenly.

_Oh Jake…_

"Worried about me? Why?" Sherry asked, walking into the bathroom with a towel and her body soaps in hand.

"Well I thought you'd be upset that I was unable to make the party with the snowstorm there..."

Sherry blinked. "What? You were trying to come?"

"Yeah, Jake tried to get Leon and me to come see you but the weather ruined the plan..."

The pretty blonde was stunned. "Jake... did that?"

"Yeah, he said he wanted to give you the perfect holiday and surprise you with our presence but it didn't happen that way. I'm sorry, Sher."

She bit her lip. _That's why he got upset... he thought bringing them here for me would make me happy... _"Don't be sorry, Claire - it's the thought that counts. I appreciate the effort."

"Don't thank me, you should thank Jake. It's cute isn't it? Most guys resort to cheesy things like flowers and chocolates but he likes you so much that he was gonna fly me to Finland because he knows what makes you happy and wanted to do just that. Like gosh, he loves you Sherry… but do you love him?"

Sherry was trembling, not of fear or anger but because she felt happy. _Could he really love me? Gods…_ "Yes I do... I love him, Claire." Sherry admitted quietly.

"Then why don't you tell him?"

* * *

Sherry stepped out the bathroom with the towel around her and a trail of wet footprints and steam behind her. She dropped her costume into her laundry hamper went back inside to grab her cell. The battery was dying so she needed to find her charger and quick. She came out into her room once again and gasped upon noticing a dark figure sitting on the foot of her bed in the dark.

"Didn't mean to scare you, Sherry." it was Jake. Sherry felt her heart beat faster, the man she loved was there... but did she have the nerve to tell him how she felt?

"Jake... are you okay?" she asked softly, coming to sit beside him.

He looked at her with eyes of remorse. "Listen, I'm sorry for acting like that towards you baby girl. You didn't deserve it... I was just acting like a child."

"It's okay, baby – I understand why you got upset." Sherry told him, taking his handsome face in her hands.

Jake kissed her palm. "Do you?"

"Claire told me..." she said, her watery eyes glistening with tears.

"Why are you crying baby girl?"

"Because there's something I need to tell you... and it can't wait any longer."

"I love you." she gasped when he beat her to the punch. "I love you Sherry Birkin."

"J-Jake…"

"You're everything to me," he continued softly. "All I want is to love you... to hold you... to protect you... and make you smile. You may put your own happiness last, but I'll always put it first." his eyes were soft but unyielding and full of emotion.

Sherry started to cry, wrapping her arms around his neck she buried her face into his shoulder. "I love you too Jake. I love you so much..."

Jake slid his hands between them to cup her soft cheeks in his hands. "I didn't want to say anything at first... and I wasn't going to – not until my plan succeeded… but now I feel like an asshole because I've been putting this off like this and nothing planned out."

"Jake….?"

"I fucking love you, Sherry. You made me into the man I am today and I couldn't have ever dreamed that I would get to this position in my life where I can actually say I'm... happy. You make me happy, Sherry and I want to do the same for you… but I feel like I let you down or something."

"What? Jake, you always make me happy." she told him with a smile.

"Really?"

She nodded. "You're my man - the most wonderful man for me and I don't intend on sharing you." she giggled and Jake wowed at her beautiful glow. She was shining like a late night star. "I really do love you Jake, I love you so, so much."

"Why? I always mess shit up for you."

"No you don't." she countered, moving closer to him. "Everything you've done for me has made me feel beyond happy. Can't you see that? You make me happy by being the one I can always count on to love me and care for me more than I could have ever imagined. You're wonderful… you're… my man."

Jake smiled and leaned closer to her as she did the same. "Can I kiss you Sherry?" he asked quietly against her lips.

"Please, please do..."

"Not here." he said rubbing his nose with hers. "Come to my room... I want to show you_ how much _I love you."

* * *

Jake led Sherry to his branch of the house and straight to his room. The door was arc shaped; he opened it and allowed her to enter first. The room was very dark; she couldn't make out much of anything at first. Jake switched the light on and turned her around before she could see anything.

"Don't look yet." he instructed and had her face the door while he went further inside.

She could hear him shuffling through drawers and her ears perked at the sound of a match striking a box. She was anxious as she stood there clad in his t-shirt [he allowed her to put it on before they came], she couldn't wait to see this surprise he had for her.

"Okay, turn off the light and come here." he said finally; Sherry did as she was told and then turned around to scan the room with her eyes.

"Oh my God..." she uttered breathlessly as she took in the beauty around her, stepping farther into her lover's incredible bedchamber.

Jake had really gone out of his way with this...

The room was much larger than hers, luxurious to the eye and the way he'd set things up gave it a perfect romance display. Straight ahead was a massive circular bed with red satin sheets; candles were perfectly aligned on each side of it, lighting the room with their combined radiance and enchanting Sherry further with the aroma of roses.

Dark curtains wrapped around the room concealing everything from the outside world. A fireplace was on the left wall many safe feet away from the bed and candles and remained unlit for the time being. She looked to her immediate right and saw a tub embedded into the floor taking over the entire corner.

_I'm dreaming, aren't I?_

"I listened to what you were saying..." Jake started, startling her out of her thoughts. He took her hand gently and led her to the bed. Sherry sat down slowly and stared lovingly into his eyes. "I realized today that all these parties really don't serve the purpose of these holidays. I mean sure, they're fun to throw but... you were right. The real purpose of Christmas is to spend time with the ones you care about and who care for you. I realized that once I saw how everyone else was responding to the cancellation."

"Marlowe and I were the only ones disappointed and I know it's because everything's gotta be about a _party_ for me... but seeing Rebecca and Billy stranded here - away from their home in hopes to attend a party that didn't happen... and still be positive and happy to just be in each other's company. That's really something."

Sherry nodded in agreement. "They love each other and that's why as long as they're together they're happy."

Jake hummed. "And then mom, she wasn't fazed at all - she was just glad to have Rebecca here to spend time with. And then there's you... you were able to cheer Mar up and stay optimistic. Once again, your words rang true. The party was called off but the good news is that we still have each other... I see that now, I now know that what truly makes you happy is just to be with your loved ones and…"

Sherry smiled and took his hands in her own, she caught whiff of his spicy cologne and shuddered some. _Gosh he smells fantastic. _"Claire and Leon would have been wonderful to have here and I love them with all of my heart but... you didn't have to put so much stress on yourself to do that."

He sighed and ran his thumb gently down her cheek. "I wanted to baby girl, I wanted to make you happy."

"_You_ make me happy, Jake." She stated with her glow captivating him. "You and Marlowe are here with me and that's what gives joy. You're right, the parties are fun and all but the best part about this holiday is that I get to spend it with _you_."

"Looks like the gathering or whatever being cancelled was the best thing to happen to us." Jake mused with a laugh and then sobered. "I love you Sherry."

"I love you too Jake," she breathed and scooted even closer to him. "And now that you know that, will you indulge me? Will you kiss me now?"

* * *

[Warnings for Mature Content]

* * *

Jake smirked and responded by doing just that. His lips ghosted over hers momentarily until he moved in and connected them. It started as a few slow pecks together but soon their lips moved over one another's slowly and gently to savor the moment of uninterrupted intimacy.

Electricity shot through the both of them. He could feel her influence warming his body to a new level and she felt the same from his touch.

Sherry moaned sweetly as he nibbled gently on her bottom lip and sucked it; he gradually began to escalate and stuck his tongue inside her mouth to caress hers. His hands encased her pretty face as he deepened the kiss.

The two fell to the bed on their sides as they made out in a sensual but not quite yet fervid manner. She pulled away to breath for a second only to return to him, her fingers grazed over his wrists until she brought her hands to his broad shoulders to grip his t-shirt. She moaned again as he pulled her closer, wrapping one arm around her neck to run his fingers in her hair and the other lifted her leg so that it hooked over his hip.

He groaned into her mouth, their tongues were wrestling now, their hands exploring one another. Jake fondled Sherry's soft breasts through the shirt she wore and pulled from her hungry lips to nip and bite at the skin of her neck and collar bone. He rolled her onto her back and began kissing everywhere her skin was exposed.

Jake kissed her forehead, her nose, each cheek, her chin and of course her lips. He nibbled her sensitive earlobes and returned to sucking the tender spot on her neck. Sherry ran her hands all over his chest pinching at his nipples occasionally and planted sweet kisses on his hair and forehead.

He sat back to allow her to remove his t-shirt from her supple body before descending upon her again to take advantage of her naked form and her milky skin. He loved her wearing his things but he loved her nude body even more. She was clean, fresh out of the shower and no matter how much strawberry soaps she used, the scent of fresh lilacs maintained as her very essence.

_Beautiful... _he thought as he gazed upon her. He removed his t-shirt and threw it behind him to prevent it from landing on the candles.

Sherry admired him as well, her eyes trailed over every inch of his smooth skin. She didn't care that he had scars here and there - they made him seem dangerous but she knew he would never hurt her and that turned her on.

Jake licked his lips before he let his tongue run slow circles on her erect and pink nipples. She whimpered and let out soft coos and purrs as he tasted her flesh. He moved downwards to her nether lips, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake, stopping for a moment to dip his tongue into her belly button and stir around. Once he was down there, he tasted her, kissing and suckling her pink folds gently.

"Ah..." she moaned softly, wiggling as she flourished in the feeling of his tongue. He was tender with her but his skilled tongue was still able to make her squirm and pant.

She pulled him up to her after a while and their lips met once again. The delicate blonde blushed as she tasted herself on him. It wasn't bad at all... but different. Jake slowly parted from her lips leaving a trail of saliva between them. Sherry took this moment to hook her thumbs onto his pants, he climbed off her to remove them completely.

All that was left was his boxers.

He was about to climb back onto her but she stopped him and pulled at his boxers with longing in her watery eyes. His member protruded boldly from the last clothing he wore, it was in Sherry's face and she didn't mind.

...She secretly wanted to taste it one day... but she would tell no one this.

Jake already knew though.

The tall redhead lifted her chin gently so their eyes would meet. He was searching for doubt or any sort of fear in her eyes, she didn't falter, or look away - he could tell she was sure. Her mind was screaming to him that she wanted this, she wanted to be closer to him.

She wasn't worried about pregnancy; Claire had started her on _the pill_ since she was 20. Even though she wasn't sexually active at the time, Claire insisted she start _just in case_.

_Thanks Claire. _She thought as she watched Jake pull his boxers down and climb back on top of her.

His size was intimidating but she told herself she wouldn't be afraid. They were in love and she had nothing to fear from him...

As he laid on top of her, Jake nearly hesitated but she wrapped her shapely legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek lovingly and moaned into his mouth when his connected with hers.

_We both want this. _Jake told himself as he started to ravage her sweet mouth. He hummed and shuddered as his stiff length stroked at her wet folds. He rubbed the tip of his rod up and down from her clit to the moistened cave his fingers had successfully managed to stretch without issue.

He paused at her entrance to lock lips with her once again. When he realized she was completely flushed from head to toe and ready for him, he mouthed an apology against her lips and kissed her just in time to muffle her loud moan as he slid into her wet center.

Jake kissed her repeatedly, whispering into her ear how much he loved her and could stop whenever she wanted him to. He wouldn't dare purposely hurt her and even though it wouldn't be easy to stop after feeling such tight, wet warmth wrap around his aroused member, he would pull away if she asked.

He would, no matter how badly he wanted this. He'd just have to rub one out to compensate is all...

Sherry felt coolness spread through her cave and she sighed, the pain was gone and in its place was something incredibly good. Her nether parts were throbbing in pleasure; Jake was thick and long, he pressed deliciously close to something within her that she wanted him to hit.

There's no way she wanted him to stop.

She started to grind against him, gasping and mewling as electricity shot through her entire body, bringing her alive with need. Jake responded to her body's need by starting a slow rhythm with her. He slid in and out of her as gently as he could but he wasn't sure he could keep it up. He was losing control of himself and her whimpers and sudden purrs weren't helping.

"Mhhhmmm..." she hummed in pleasure, throwing back her head.

He could hear her subconscious screaming for him to move faster in her and he gradually began to pick up speed. The feeling was indescribable - she was so wet and tight around him that he found himself growling and groaning along with her. He could hear her every thought, he could feel her influence soothing him and he wondered was it also the reason why he was becoming dizzy with pleasure.

She wanted more and Jake sped up, delivering an incredible performance to her eager body. He hovered over her and trapped both her hands above her head with one hand and used his other hand to hold her left leg and get her to a certain angle. His hand gripped beneath her knee and then pinned her by holding her thigh. She whined and mewled as he picked up speed again.

He heard her thinking over and over that she wanted him to hit a spot in her. Jake knew exactly where it was because of his experience fingering her and the reaction he would get. He could access her sweet spot easily by lifting her _left _leg.

When his tip began to make contact with her spot she screamed in pleasure. By God she loved this man, he was just amazing at everything he did. She whined and pleaded for him to let her hands go and when he finally did she pulled him into a passionate kiss, moaning into his mouth as he worked her over.

She was asking for him to go deeper now, to push his length all the way inside her. Jake chuckled and wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her against him. He kissed her deeply and adjusted them so that he sat with his back against the pillows along the headboard of the bed with her in his lap.

Sherry was blushing like mad and it never once left her cheeks. She liked these feelings and sensations Jake was giving her but she unsure what to do like this...

Jake scooted down some and laid back, he had her hovering over his length to slide down on top of it. He was turned on by the fact that her fluids were heavily coating his member, she was so wet it was astonishing. She whimpered some as he placed himself back at her entrance and slowly lowered her down.

He growled at the sensation, while she sighed blissfully; she was so slick but her walls hugged him lovingly when he entered, Sherry liked feeling filled up – it was wonderful for her aching lady parts.

He placed his hands on her hips and hers were on his chest. She shuddered as he lowered her some more until she took all of him. He sat up enough to suckle her breasts while she adjusted to the new position. He purred against her skin, her heavy mounds were lovely to watch as they jiggled whenever she moved.

Sherry started to move some. She slowly tried to move up and down his shaft and began a slow rhythm. It felt good to fit all of him inside her, she would growl low in her throat releasing a noise she didn't know she could whenever she took all of him. Eventually she grew flustered because she wanted more friction, Jake picked up on it and pulled her down against him - kissing her lovingly and wrapped his arms around her to tightly press her body to his. Sherry cooed and rested her head to his shoulder, he turned his head to look her in the eye and in an instant he thrusts upward into her.

"_Oh God_!" Sherry cried out in surprise and satisfaction. He was going deep in her and moving fast, she could do nothing but cry out while locking eyes with him. His arms were so tight around her shoulders, smashing her chest deliciously to his.

Her buttocks smacked against his thighs as he became more adamant and attentive to her. She liked the sound of their skin connecting so he was giving her more of it. She liked being held against him and he was doing just that. She liked him deep inside her, he would give her every inch of his stem.

She was his girl - no one would ever please her like he was.

"J-Jake...! I'm gonna... _Ugh_, I can't hold on..." she whined breathlessly. It was just too good and she couldn't believe how easily he learned how to please her. "Jake I love you so much...!"

"I love you too, Sherry..." he growled into her ear. He was nearing his peak as well, even if he didn't want this to end just yet.

"Ah...!" she cried out and started to beg him for anything - she didn't know, she was losing herself and so was Jake. He was feeling dizzy from her as she milked him for his seed.

"Ah shit _Sherry_ - you're so _tight_...!" he said hoarsely squeezing her anywhere he could with affection in every squeeze.

"_Sherry_..." he groaned her name as he ran his fingers through her hair. "It's okay _sweet girl_... cum with me okay? Cum with me." he whispered over and over to her.

She lost it.

Jake held her soft frame even tighter to his hardened body and they rode over the edge together calling each other's name and shouting their affections for one another. Sherry gasped when she felt something pop inside her and then a warm and wet liquid in her inner walls before she completely weakened on top of him losing herself in another world...

After a long while of just lying there panting to catch their breath and grasping onto one another, the two came down from ecstasy and Jake kissed the side of Sherry's hair and chuckled. "Wow... that was..."

"Incredible." Sherry finished tiredly. Her body felt weak and she let out a tired yawn before Jake drew her in for a long but sweet kiss.

He shifted and she whimpered, she was weak and sensitive from the orgasm unable to do much let alone move her legs. Jake kissed her forehead and slid out of her warmth, she groaned and her reactions made her lover struggle to not get aroused once again.

"I'm glad you liked it." Jake purred to her with a smirk, he laid beside her and sighed. "We should do it again sometime." Jake pulled her close to him again, kissing her everywhere once again. He loved her so much, he just worshiped her.

Sherry laughed at his suggestion but didn't budge, she was just too tired. "That sounds absolutely _wonderful_." She felt very wet between her legs and that was when she realized he'd released inside her. She wasn't alarmed too much because she was on the pill, but it was an odd way to face the reality that they'd just lost their virginity together.

So much could change... for good or for worse. And that was what scared her.

"You have nothing to be afraid of, I promise you everything's going to be fine." Jake said softly, kissing her hair.

"I love you, Jake."

"I love you too, Sherry."

They fell asleep after Jake put out the candles. For the first time ever, they knew they didn't have to leave each other by morning. With Marlowe with safe with Stephanie for the night they could just be together.

The two made love twice more that night and speaking of more first times – they actually slept in **way** past dawn.

* * *

[End Mature Content]

* * *

When Christmas day arrived, the Wesker family along with Sherry, Rebecca, and Billy awoke to Marlowe's cheerful exclamations of the day. He was first up and anxious to open his gifts like every other child in the world.

As per request, everyone had to wear a Santa hat… even Wesker…

Everyone met in the front room by the giant tree. Jake helped Marlowe sort through the many gift boxes to find the ones with his name. Sherry showed the child how to open the wrappers and he ignored her completely to tear in them anyway he pleased.

"Hang on Mar! I want a picture of you opening your first gift!" Sherry explained with a laugh as she videotaped him on her camera phone. She snapped two pictures, one of him ripping the paper and the second with him holding his book of algebra...

"An _algebra_ book?" Rebecca questioned, confusion etched her face.

"It's from father!" Marlowe said with a grin. "Thanks daddy - I'll finish it by next week!"

Billy's jaw dropped while the boy's father smiled at him. An actual smile. "Good boy."

"Baby genius?" Billy wondered aloud. Stephanie shrugged with a look of helplessness before smiling.

"Why don't you open one from your mommy, Mar?" Sherry asked giving Stephanie a smile. The woman clapped happily and Jake picked out one with her name and handed it to Marlowe.

He tore into the multicolored paper and was shocked to see a water gun. Sherry blanched and Jake sent his mom a thumbs up. "Wow! A water gun! Can I shoot you with it Nanny Bear?"

_I knew he'd ask that... _She shook her head quickly. "H-How about you open another! Please!" everyone laughed at her as she urged him to pick another.

"Here Sherry," Billy said from behind her. He offered her a camera and she looked it over with interest. "Rebecca says to use hers, she'll email you the pictures and videos but with this things technology she could very well text them to you."

"Wow, awesome - thanks Billy, thanks Rebecca!" Sherry said and started filming immediately. Rebecca smiled in response and offered Stephanie a gift. "Hang on ma'am! I've gotta see this!" she giggled. Stephanie grinned and began to tear at the paper.

Jake came up behind his sweetheart and whistled. "Check out the resolution on this bad boy! Everything's so clear…" Sherry agreed while watching Stephanie gasp in delight at a new sewing kit.

"Now you can make my wedding dress!" Rebecca explained hugging her best friend tightly. Sherry awed at how sweet it was.

"That camera's expensive as hell but it's worth it." Billy informed Jake while observing Stephanie and his fiancé. "Great investment if you travel a lot."

Jake considered his words. "Heh, thanks I'll look into it since Sherry's _mom_ likes pictures and stuff."

Sherry giggled. "Yep, Claire loves cameras, which is why we got her one!" Jake and her high-fived, they planned to give her the camera if she came to visit them after the storm. "But after seeing this baby we might need to exchange, huh?"

"Probably." Jake responded.

"Jake, could you open this?" Marlowe asked his big brother sweetly, tugging on his pant leg. Jake crouched down to untie the package, it was a pretty big bundle with a straight end and curvy one. Jake failed to see Stephanie smirking behind his back but Sherry didn't - she snickered with excitement and Stephanie looked like a clever fox.

Stephanie was quite the trickster. Jake must have gotten his pranks and mischief from her and Sherry thought it was cool, there weren't many moms out there that liked to trick people for fun. She was quite the tease too, seeming to get a kick out of frustrating those around her.

_She kind of reminds me of a more mature but more devious Claire... if that's possible. _Sherry thought.

"Whoa..." Jake chuckled and Sherry realized what he was holding. "Okay, which one of you got me this guitar?"

Everyone froze in surprise as Stephanie's eyes traveled to her silent husband. Jake's brow rose and he shook his head. "No he didn't."

"Actually _I did_." Wesker confirmed with a smirk. "You're quite the musician my son - think of it as a means of encouragement."

Jake actually smiled and Sherry just felt fuzzy all over. The redhead was shocked at his father's thoughtfulness but he appreciated it either way. "Thanks old man - I should've got you some shades then shouldn't I?"

Everyone laughed and Wesker amazingly offered a short chuckle, Sherry wasn't sure if she should be alarmed or just happy. The man turned to her, "Miss Birkin, you haven't opened a gift for yourself."

"Huh?" she began to fidget. "I um, I don't know."

Marlowe placed a box on her lap and Jake took the camera to film her. She slowly removed the paper and was amazed to see a beautifully crafted box of Oriental influence. Inside was an assortment of different hair clips and other hair decorations. She started to tear up and everyone laughed at her for it. Marlowe even called her a crybaby.

Sherry laughed, her eyes still glistening with tears. "Who got me this? It's beautiful." Marlowe pointed to his father with a smile. She looked at the man with big eyes. "T-Thank you so much sir!" she beamed. "It's wonderful!" she took a small purple butterfly clip and stuck it in her hair with a smile.

"You are welcome, Miss Birkin." He replied, discreetly sliding a small box behind his back towards his wife. She felt him poking her with it and opened it to laugh. She pulled out an expensive and beautiful pin. It was shaped like a ladybug with fancy jewels embedded into it. She gave her husband's hand a squeeze in appreciation.

"Another beautiful pin for your collection." he said to her.

She smiled and nodded. "I was just thinking of collecting some more, but this will do fine for now. It's gorgeous - thank you Albert." she pulled a box from behind her and Wesker's brow elevated behind his shades. "I made you something." Inside was a perfectly tailored tie with fine stitching.

"This is what you've been working on for the past few weeks, is it not?"

"Yes, I hope you'll wear it. It was a labor of _love_." she smiled brightly and Wesker just stared at her, his expression unreadable behind his glasses but the feeling was just obvious in Jake's opinion...

_That awkward moment when your parents are 'lovey dovey' in front of you. Argh, now I know how Mar feels seeing me and Supergirl... _Jake thought and turned his attention to Sherry who was helping his younger brother tear out even more of his gifts. Jake studied her with absolute adulation, he had a gift for her and he would give it to her later.

"Open my gift, Sherry." Rebecca gestured to the tall box Billy was lugging over. Sherry stood up carrying the box of Asian hair ornaments tucked under her arm.

The petite blonde tore away the paper and was nearly floored. "Is this... a karaoke machine?!" Sherry squealed, circling the box to observe it more closely.

"Wow, karaoke - that sounds like fun!" Stephanie chimed.

"It sounds loud to me." Wesker added with an edge to his voice.

Rebecca giggled. "Sorry Albert, it's just I heard Sherry singing Marlowe to sleep and I thought she had a lovely voice."

"Really?" Jake started, staring the petite blonde down with a smirk. She blushed and tried pushing him away. "How come I've never heard you sing?"

"She sings to me every night or she reads me a story. Momma and Sherry read me stories to sleep." Marlowe said flipping through the algebra book his father gave him already. With all the toys and games he was given, he was more interested in the book...

Jake grinned slyly. "I wanna hear you sing." Sherry shook her head violently.

"Come on Nanny Bear! You sound like a princess!"

Sherry's face turned red. "Let's hook the machine up and force her." Billy suggested with a laugh, everyone agreed except Sherry and Wesker who was more concerned with his youngest son's early start in reading the math book.

"Where's the best spot to plug it in?" Rebecca asked. "It plugs into a TV as well to display song lyrics."

"Cool, let's go to the basement - the game room's a great spot for this." Jake led the way and Billy carried the big machine while Rebecca followed him, carrying the cord. "Come on Supergirl, Mar, mom ... _dad_?"

"He's coming too." Stephanie giggled as she ushered Sherry to follow the rest while signaling for her husband and Marlowe to join them too.

When they arrived, Jake and Billy set the karaoke machine up and everyone got excited. Wesker took a seat on the couch beside his wife who eagerly clapped waiting to see some people sing and perform. Marlowe climbed into his father's lap, holding the algebra book. He began to quietly read while his father observed silently.

"**No**...!" Sherry whined playfully as Rebecca forced a microphone into her hand. Her face was red with embarrassment as she laughed nervously. "Why me? Jake I'm sure you can sing - there isn't anything you _can't _do - you sing!"

Jake shrugged. "I got a better idea, we'll sing _together_."

Her jaw dropped. "W-What? ...No, I don't know what we could sing..." Jake put the strap to his guitar on and began to tune it for a test, ignoring her protests.

"Come on, Supergirl - we'll sing _Jingle Bell Rock_. Have you heard it?" Sherry fidgeted awkwardly, feeling self-conscious - she'd never heard that song before. Jake nodded his head in understanding. "Well, you could learn it right? It's an easy song."

"And it's fun too." Rebecca added with smile. "We'll all sing along with you for support."

Sherry caved in finally. "Okay, but remember I don't know the song so if I sound bad at first it's not my fault!"

They all laughed and Billy put in the selection. The machine had an incredible database and could pinpoint many different songs in seconds. They picked the version they wanted and the music began.

Everyone started to rock side to side [except Wesker...], clapping and laughing in anticipation. When the lyrics began, Jake started to play his guitar in perfect sync with the song and after informing Sherry to jump in whenever she was ready, he began to sing.

"_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock. Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring, Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun. Now the jingle hop has begun._"

"_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock. Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time, Dancing and prancing in jingle bell square. In the frosty air!_"

"_What a bright time, it's the right time, to rock the night away. Jingle bell time is a swell time, to go gliding in a one-horse sleigh._"

"_Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet. Jingle around the clock, Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet..._"

"_That's the jingle bell, that's the jingle bell, that's the jingle bell rock!_"

Sherry felt excited suddenly. Jake had a fantastic voice and it was fun to see everyone joining in. Even Wesker wore a ghost of a smile.

"Come on Supergirl, join in!" Jake laughed. "If you can't remember much that's alright but at least join in when we say jingle bell rock, okay?"

Sherry nodded with a grin and took in some air. She was going to do it. She would sing with everyone.

They all started the song for the second time, Marlowe ran over to hold Sherry's hand and sing with her. The pretty blonde let her voice be heard, it was enough to delight Jake even more than ever. She sounded heavenly and Jake was elated when she began singing the whole song in union with him. He thought they sounded like a wonderful duet.

_Damn, she's really good at making me love her more and more with each passing second. _He thought with a smile as they hit the high note at the end together.

Everyone clapped once they finished and all Sherry could think of was how happy she felt - this was all she really wanted for Christmas.

To be surrounded by loved ones.

* * *

"Sherry, come here baby girl." Jake whispered from the hallway. Sherry tucked Marlowe in for the night and followed after Jake. He led her downstairs to the front room and through there all the way to the basement.

Sherry noticed there was something in his arms but before she could ask, he whirled around to her. They were alone in the basement now, everyone else had gone to bed.

"Here, these are for you sweet girl." Jake said softly, handing her two gift boxes; one small, one large.

"Oh Jake you didn't have to..." she told him with a shake of her head. "The bathroom in my bedroom was enough for me." she giggled.

"Please, for me baby girl?" Jake pleaded, kissing her forehead.

She gave in and opened them. What she pulled from the larger box was a beautiful white evening dress with fancy stitching and sequins in shades of purple. Sherry held it up to her body and squealed. "Wow it's so pretty!" she chirped girlishly. "Thank you so much Jake!" she went to hug him but he gestured to the other box. She opened it and her sea colored eyes brightened vividly.

Inside was a set of earrings and necklace of the finest white gold. Sherry gasped in fascination at the heart shapes and small amethyst gems decorating the jewels. "Oh my gosh... so pretty..."

"Amethyst gems are revered for their healing properties." Jake started as he helped Sherry try on the necklace. "They're known for healing the minds of wearers, bringing tranquility and peace to the soul - it influences emotions as well. Amethyst also acts as a defense against evil while attracting positive energy. It rids people of bad thoughts and protects the body from disease and suffering."

Sherry blushed. "Just like I do, right?" she guessed with a smile.

"Exactly. Amethyst heals everything and wards off negativity, just like you Supergirl." He helped her try the earrings and grinned at how beautiful they looked on her. The pinkish-purple gems brought a twinkle to her watery eyes, like she had stars in them. "Beautiful..." he breathed, kissing her cheeks.

"They match the dress too." Sherry noted while running her fingers over the smooth material and beads. She looked him in the eye and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, baby."

"Sherry, I don't know if you realized it, but you brought my family together - truly together... for the first time in my entire life. I always spent my Christmas with my Uncle and Rachael... this is the first time I had a blast with my mom, dad and Mar. It's all because of you."

Sherry blushed and Jake cupped her pretty face, muttering appreciation to her before enveloping her in his arms to rock back and forth. A moment later, Sherry fell in step with him and they danced together in silence.

When their lips met, Jake knew one thing was definitely clear now. This was the best Christmas he'd ever had. He got to spend it with his family and her.

He felt a change resonating within him. He deepened the kiss with her and relished in knowing he had the woman of his dreams and finally she was undeniably his.

Things could only get better from here. He knew the worse would rear its ugly face, but so long as he had Sherry with him he could take on the world.

* * *

A/N: Woot! Chapter 16 is complete! Sorry for the wait, my mom and little sister had B-day's back to back and I was booked because of it. So to make up for it here's a lemon and fluffy love XD

I hope everyone liked the chapter. It was fun to write! The party may not have worked out but the point of this story is about healing a family that's been ruined.

More Piers and Helena next chapter but some Jake and Sherry next chap as well. Things are getting interesting now that Stephanie seems to be becoming more outspoken... Hm, what does she know that could throw things for a loop? Hint: She knows quite a LOT.

Thanks for all the reviews! I appreciate them greatly!

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me. In the meantime, R&R and I'll be sure to update faster next time (hopefully...).

BTW, you guys know that if I had this story split into chapters with 5,000 words at max I'd be on chapter 34... O_O

See ya soon!

-Vio


	18. Miracle

Chapter 17

Miracle (Christmas Wishes [Part 2])

* * *

Piers had been awake for a while when Helena joined him. He didn't want to wake her when he untangled himself from her thirty minutes before so he ambled quietly to the living room area to survey the early morning city, wondering what he could plan for the day after they opened gifts and things.

"Merry Christmas." Helena purred, flopping down on the couch beside him. She cuddled up next to him, her face buried at his nape and her arms tightly wrapped around his middle. His cheek was pressed against the top of her hair, he had pulled her close with one arm and the other resided on the armrest of the couch.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," he replied, embracing her warmly and then positioned her so he could begin sucking on her cheek affectionately. She groaned in response and tried to push away from him but he laughed and wouldn't release her. She submitted quite quickly and he allowed her to shift into a more comfortable position.

His focus traveled upon the unlit Christmas tree in the center of the room, many thoughts were going through his mind at the time but he remained silent; simply enjoying the moment of peace.

"Oh, and _good morning_, Honey." he whispered softly in her ear after a long silence; a hint of humor to his words.

"Hey..." she mumbled, planting a kiss where his skin was exposed on his neck. "I'm gonna go take a quick shower, mind making some tea while I'm in?"

Piers smiled and kissed her forehead. "Sure, and then you can open the gifts I got you."

She nodded and made her leave while he started for the kitchen. Before he went there, he pulled a small box from his coat pocket in the closet and discreetly took it with him into the kitchen. But not before pushing a tall package further inside the closet to prevent it from falling out.

Sometime later, they reunited in the kitchen where they sat and drank tea whilst nibbling on some breakfast Piers took some time to prepare. He reached over and placed his hand over Helena's once she reached for more sugar. "Say, would you like to go out for a while today? I mean, if you're feeling cramped up inside maybe the fresh air could help some?"

"I'm fine, Piers," she said and a sigh followed. "I don't mind spending today with just the two of us. In fact I'd like it to stay this way. Sheva's a doll and all but I'm tired of making you clean up puke and I'm also tired of putting off our time together."

Piers chuckled. "I agree... so, what should you and I do together?"

She smirked, a light came to her eyes as she stood from her chair and came to straddle him. "We should have a little _fun_..." she breathed into his ear and Piers wrapped his arms around her.

"That sounds amazing..." he said, running his fingers along her spine. "But first, you should check the table."

She furrowed her brow and followed where he gestured. There was a small black box on the table right by the empty plates she'd stacked. She reached for the item and immediately opened it to see a beautiful, sterling silver necklace with the letter 'H'. She stared at it with a raised brow. "Pretty..." she whispered. _Who am I kidding it's gorgeous! But, I'm really not used to getting gifts like these… _She thought and shook the thought away.

"I'd love it if you would wear it." Piers said softly kissing her cheek. "It should go well with the other things I got you."

Her interest was piqued but she was hesitant, so he led her to the living room with the other few gift boxes he'd gotten her lined around the tree. She sent him a look over her shoulder. "Piers I... I haven't gotten Christmas gifts in such a long time, I..."

"It's okay, just open them." he said calmly.

She hesitated once again; she told him the truth about her history with gifts and even that didn't help her feel much better. She and Deborah had only given gifts to each other for Christmas and usually they were things like shoes or clothes so she didn't really know how to react to being given jewelry or anything else he may have gotten her.

She felt like she owed him for it. Every gift she was ever given came with a price... "I'll pay you back for whatever you've -"

"Stop it," he said with a slight frown. "You don't have to do that. I didn't do this for you to repay me; I just want to make you smile. Please just open the gifts - I'm sure you'll like them."

_What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful man? _Helena wondered as she crouched down to take one box in her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to getting gifts from anyone other than..." she trailed off and Piers knew who she was referencing but quickly decided to change the subject to keep her in a lighthearted state.

"Not even Jake?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Well yeah, but Jake's like a little brother for me so he doesn't count and... for some reason I keep forgetting to put in him in that category." she laughed and Piers had to admit that he found that hilarious. As tall and muscular as Jake was, it's hard to imagine her still thinking of him as a little brother.

_So, she's just not used to receiving gifts from men. And it's probably because of that bastard, Simmons. _Piers thought to himself but thought better than to push the topic.

She peeled back the wrapping and was baffled to see a pair of red and black boxing gloves. She sent him a wide eyed look but was physically stiff as a board. Piers smiled sheepishly at her. "I thought you would think the necklace was girly and so I wanted to give my sweetheart a gift that expresses who she really is... a **fighting** girl." he came to her side and kissed her hair. "Try them on!" he beamed with a grin.

"I can't believe you would be so thoughtful…" she whispered and he rubbed her back soothingly.

"Try them, Helena – please, for me?"

While she slipped on the red and black boxing gloves, Piers moved towards the closet nearby to retrieve that tall something concealed inside a black bag. He lifted it into his arms and returned to her side to drop it gently to the floor. It wasn't heavy for him in the least bit but he knew the floor would definitely have an issue if he dropped it.

Her brows elevated with interest as he let out a quiet _phew_ once it was safely on the floor. "I'd say those gloves would go perfectly with what I've got for you in here." he said with another handsome grin. "Why don't you tear the bag away?"

She did as asked and for the first time in a long while, the lovely brunette's face lit up in glee. Helena threw herself at her boyfriend and kissed him abundantly. "You got me a punching bag too?!" Piers was surprised by her reaction; it wasn't often [if ever at all] that _Helena Ann Harper_ displayed such a cheerful and yet endearingly childish behavior. "Thank you so much!"

He laughed. "I knew you would like it! I got it so you could still do what you love without hurting anyone!" his laughter turned to a nervous chuckle when she glared at him.

Helena pulled away to admire her new punching bag and gloves some more. "Where could we hang the bag?"

Piers stroked his chin for a moment, "Hm, I could have it set up right here whenever you like, I'll just have to remove it any other time."

"That sounds fine, thanks." She eyed the symbol on her gloves and it clicked for her that the necklace and gloves were made with the same letter: an '_H_' for her name perhaps? "You... You have no idea how much this means to me." she said softly.

"There are many reasons why I chose the letter '_H_', sweetheart." Piers told her while taking her hands in his. "The first was because of your name, the second was because you're my _Honey_," she twitched and he just laughed it off. "And then there was the fact that you're so hardcore... I almost went with triple _H_'s on the gloves and necklace but I remember there was a wrestler with that name..."

She laughed, delivering a featherlike punch to his shoulder. "I loved that guy as a kid!"

"Yeah, I know... but it was at that moment when I almost chose _Triple H_ that I remembered that there was one more 'H' that fit you more than anything."

"And what's that?"

"**Hero**." Piers said earnestly, a warm smile graced his handsome features. "You're a hero to a lot of people, Helena... and one in particular told me just how much of a hero you truly are..."

"Deborah." Helena finished with a doleful smile.

Piers nodded and enveloped her into a loving embrace. "I know this is your first Christmas without her... and I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "She's still here, remember? Like little Mai told you, she's always here so long as we remember her."

The former BSAA member felt like an angel had touched his soul when he saw the most honest and serene display come to his lovers face. Her eyes sparkled, her mouth pulled into a warm smile and her cheeks flushed just a pinch.

He was certain it was the most heavenly picture to have graced his mortal eyes.

* * *

The lovers took a nice stroll about London's streets flourished with Christmas likeness; their arms looped together. Snow fell quietly around them, light and feathery to the touch and so thin it barely touched the ground without turning into water. Helena watched with a childlike semblance as people exchanged gifts on the street, shouted holiday merits to one another and sang songs of flamboyant endeavors.

Christmas was such a merry time of year indeed.

Piers beckoned her inside a small coffee shop that was down the street from his apartment at a rounded corner. It was surrounded by many others on either side of the street. Cars carefully drove over the brick pavements separating them.

Most stores were closed for the day but a select few were open until 15:00 [3:00 pm] so Piers figured it would be a good idea to just escape the house before everything closed.

Helena walked inside the small shop once Piers held the door open for her. The shop was small but comfortable in its own way; painted in shades ranging from black to mocha and cream; the place was cute and attractive to individuals looking for a spot to just indulge themselves. There were a few tables by the window to the right, the cashier's station straight ahead along the counter separating the back kitchen from the rest of the shop and there was a narrow hallway beside the cashier's station that led to a unisex restroom.

Like the town, this place too was adorned with the holiday spirit. Mistletoe hung in a few areas, lights dwindled from the ceiling as well as other ornamentations.

The waitress greeted them by the door and led them to their seats; the shop was empty besides them so this wasn't a problem. "Merry Christmas and welcome, can I get you anything?" she had a slight French accent to go along with her melodic voice.

"Merry Christmas," Helena replied with a small smile, she opened a menu on the table and studied it. "I'm gonna need a moment, it's my first time here."

The waitress nodded and directed her attention to Piers, her glasses almost slipped from her face but she caught them and giggled nervously. "I am sorry, are you ready monsieur?"

Piers took a look at the menu briefly but already knew what he wanted for the moment. "Merry Christmas to you as well, and I'll take a vanilla latte."

She copied his order onto her notepad just as Helena decided on her choice. "Okay, I think I'm just going with a cappuccino."

"Very good, I'll return in just a bit." she chimed and departed from them.

Once the waitress returned with their beverages, the two struck up on some lighthearted conversation until the topic changed to the investigation. "Why haven't we heard anything...?" Helena wondered aloud.

"Not sure, it's been a week..." Piers replied with a slight huff. "But who would have thought that Professor Sera was withholding information..."

"Yeah, do you think Simmons threatened him?"

Piers considered it greatly; it wasn't stretching in the least bit – but, what exactly could Deborah's professor know that would put him in the crossfire was what caught his interest. If Leon and Ada knew anything about why, they certainly weren't speaking of it.

All they told them was that Luis Sera; Deborah's former Spanish professor didn't tell the whole truth.

"He might have," he said finally. "If the professor saw something incriminating then I imagine he would have blackmailed him."

Silence emerged between them for a moment until Helena sighed. "Listen Piers, I just want to thank you for sticking with me through all of this."

"Helena, you -"

"Please let me talk." she interrupted calmly, her hands wrapped around her porcelain cup. "You and I have been through a lot throughout these years - from being split up to us meeting again. I take responsibility for my indifference to you at first, I know it was cold and I'm sorry for that but I was going through a lot."

"I understand." he said.

She smiled. "Seeing you after all this time made me feel happy and that scared me at first but now I'm really glad that you and I are together again. While I would have loved for Debbie to be here with us and I know you would have liked it that way too... I am glad that you have shown me a way to cope with her physical absence and yet still feel her with me in spirit. You are one of the best things to ever happen to me, Piers... so I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for not giving up on me and for fighting with me... and for loving me."

Piers blushed a bit. "Um... are you okay? You're really fuzzy today, dear." he put his palm to her forehead and in that second - she twitched, fighting the urge to punch him for being silly during her moment of weakness. "Joking sweetheart! ... and believe me when I say you're the best thing to ever come to my life as well - and thank you for opening up, it means the world to me."

She released the breath she wasn't aware she was holding and took his hands in hers. "Now, do you think we could go back to your place and... fool around a bit?"

His face turned scarlet. _This would be an excellent time to do that... _He thought and a grin came to his face. "Sure..." he almost purred.

* * *

Piers woke up to the sound of someone knocking. After listening for a minute to register if they were knocking on his door or maybe his neighbor beside him and upon discovery it was in fact his door, he groaned quietly. He mentally debated should he ignore them and cuddle closer to his lover or just be considerate and see who it was.

Being the refined man that he was, he decided to respond to the visitor, but first he had to slip away from his sleeping girlfriend. He was lying on his back, Helena's head was on his shoulder, her chest pressed against his and their legs tangled together.

They'd made love as soon as they returned from the coffee shop not once but twice; the first time was slow and gentle but passionate, the second was a lot wilder – especially on Helena's part and the two were so exhausted they had fallen asleep in each other's arms. Piers smiled as he studied his lover's sleeping face. She looked peaceful, a direct contradict to her almost animalistic endeavors when they made love the second time around.

Quietly giving her the slip, he pulled on his robe nearby and started for the door once the visitor was on the third round of hammering it with their fist. He sighed and cracked the door open a bit and was stunned to see none other than Ada Wong.

He yipped and backed away from the door with a comically surprised expression as she stepped inside with an amused grin. "Didn't mean to interrupt you two in the middle of your ministrations." she cooed while fighting back a chuckle. "But I've got some things to share with you."

"Oh no worries," Piers chuckled sheepishly. "We were just _resting_ is all…"

Moments later Helena was awakened by her fidgeting boyfriend and after slipping her own robe on she joined the two in the living room area.

"Miss Wong," Piers started once Helena settled on the couch beside him. "What is it you need to tell us?"

Ada studied them for a moment before speaking. "First of all I need to clarify that Leon is unable to join me at the moment for the very thing I'm about to tell you." The two were tense as they waited for her to finish, Helena took hold of Piers' hand for support. "The other day when we shared with you that your sister's teacher was withholding information, it may interest you to know that your sister did in fact come to the classroom for her exam, but she was completely disheveled and frantic to the point that the he dismissed the class and the exam to speak with her alone."

"Oh my God..." Helena whispered anxiously.

Piers swallowed hard, this news was a real breakthrough and it was comforting as well as disturbing. "Please tell us that he told you what was wrong with her."

"Of course he did, after we assured him he would be kept in a witness protection program." Ada said while shuffling through the file folders and papers in her hands. "You understand that Leon and I aren't supposed to share these things with you, but since you are so closely involved we feel you can be of more assistance if you learn more... so what I'm about to tell you two must be kept in confidence at all times."

"Yes, ma'am." they said in union.

"Luis Sera informed us that Deborah was hysterical and crying – after he got her to calm down, he managed to convince her she was safe and that no harm would come to her because he is also in law enforcement."

"He is?" Helena asked in disbelief.

Ada nodded. "Agent Sera is undercover investigating an unrelated crime involving foreign policies but upon seeing her this way he had to act fast and see to it that if he could assist her – he would do just that."

"And risk his cover?" Piers inquired.

"It's never easy to watch a crime happen when you're undercover," Ada replied with an emotionless expression. "Some of us are willing to risk it all to stop another crime from occurring. But moving on; Agent Sera was able to break through your sister's moment of terror just enough for her to reveal that she was attacked by someone and managed to escape."

"Oh my God...So you mean... Deborah really **was** running from someone!" Helena said with an expression of absolute confliction. "Was it Simmons?"

Ada held up her hand. "Unfortunately, no it wasn't Simmons." the two were completely taken aback. "We tracked down the camera footage and were able to make out a different silhouette. The man we saw on tape with your sister was much taller and definitely more muscular. Witnesses never got a name but from the people we talked to, Deborah was presenting him as her boyfriend..." she pulled a picture from her file folder.

"Does this man look familiar to either of you?"

The two took turns studying the picture. It was taken from a fuzzy security camera on the outskirts of the library Deborah had visited. They could make out Deborah's silhouette beside a very tall man with burly muscles and a baseball cap on his head. The lovers looked at one another helplessly and shook their heads at the Asian woman before them.

Ada hummed. "Well, that's quite alright. You see, we were wondering was he her actual boyfriend but we asked around again and most people who remembered seeing her with him could recall her appearing nervous and fidgety... but here's the catch – she wasn't afraid of this man in particular, she actually seemed comfortable beside him but something else was bothering her."

"We've never met a man like that before." Helena said quietly. "I don't recognize him at all... so why would she be comfortable with him?"

"Hm, we figured that much." Ada said, placing the picture in its original spot. "So we decided to track down her ex, Peter. We wondered did he actually have an issue seeing her with another man and maybe attack her when the two were split up..."

"You found Peter?" asked Piers.

She nodded with a smirk. "You can't hide from **Ada Wong**." She then returned to her mask of indifference. "He was staying with an aunt in another town. We just wanted to have a look at him before excluding him from the suspects list based on our concern that the police did a half-assed job. Turns out they really didn't - Peter really didn't commit this crime because while he was hurt that he and Deborah were over, he'd been on the streets working and selling drugs with some more of his buddies. A customer of his took the liberty to provide an alibi for him - how unpredictable."

"So Peter is indeed excluded?" Helena asked giving Piers' hand a squeeze.

"He _was_." she said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Piers implored not too gently.

"When we met him in the other town, he was in prison - had been there for almost three weeks now. The last time we spoke with him was a few days ago and now well... the reason why Leon is not here with me right now is because he's investigating Peter's... death."

The room went silent.

"P-Peter's dead?" Helena echoed, her lovely face marred with astonishment. Piers was quiet, but he was visibly feeling the same as his girlfriend.

Ada nodded slowly. "He hung himself while in prison from what the guards have told us... but that's not the worst of it." the two said nothing as they waited for her to speak. "They found his suicide note, declaring himself as the murderer of all the women... including the assault of your sister."

"So Peter really did do it..." Helena confirmed breathlessly.

Ada's mask was as hard as ever. "A few days ago when we spoke to Peter, and he shared some very disturbing news to Leon and myself." this caught the lovers attention again. "He informed us of the very reason why he and your sister broke up. He says it was because she was pregnant."

Both of their jaws dropped. "_P-Pregnant_?" they both repeated in disbelief.

"Yes and apparently the child was not his. She told him she met a man and fell in love with him. He worked alongside Simmons for a while and would share little bits of information with her. For some reason, she actually told Peter that should anything happen to her, she wanted him to share this information."

"Was he lying about this?" Piers asked.

"We wondered about it so Leon and I called in a favor to a friend who searched Simmons database for workers fitting the description in this picture. Turns out Peter wasn't lying at all... that man used to work alongside Simmons up until six months ago."

"Who is he?" wondered Helena.

"Jack Krauser." Ada answered. "He is the man from the library photos."

"So if Peter told the truth about that..."

"Then he told the truth about her being pregnant as well." Piers finished for his lover.

Ada agreed with him. "We can actually confirm your sister was indeed pregnant. So, if he told the truth about all of that, then is it too much of a stretch to think he was honest about not being responsible for the crimes?"

Helena was stunned. "This is just getting bigger and bigger..."

Piers agreed with her. "Peter was a coward, he would never have the guts to kill himself. That said, I'm willing to bet that his handwriting doesn't match his penmanship, now does it? It was forged by his killer."

Ada took in some air. "Absolutely correct, and there's more to it. In the letter, Peter was confessing to crimes that he simply could not have committed because they occurred while he was imprisoned. Whoever framed him is trying to cover their tracks but they did a poor job and failed to keep tabs on him to succeed in it."

"What the hell could that Krauser guy have told Debbie? Could that have put her in danger?" Piers pondered aloud.

"I'm afraid that information isn't available just yet as Krauser has disappeared suddenly. More importantly, I must tell you now that we can no longer keep in contact over the phone as our lines could very well be tapped. Instead, I we will meet up in different locations from this point on."

"Should we be concerned?" Piers asked.

"I wouldn't be. If Simmons is in fact responsible for all of this then he will not target Helena because he knows he'll instantly become the suspect." Ada replied rising to her feet.

"Could Simmons have killed Debbie just to silence her from speaking anything she was told?" Helena asked.

"_Killed her_ you say?" Ada smirked. "Funny you should mention that because it's the most important matter of my visit."

The two sent her a puzzled look and she continued. "Fortunately for us, Simmons doesn't have many if any at all followers who are absolutely loyal to him. Something more, Claire Redfield and Steve Burnside are very good at offering a special hand – they were able to call in a favor with someone Claire works alongside and she's a fantastic medic; her name is Michaela Schneider. Meanwhile, Mr. Burnside is pretty good with protective detail."

"What does all this have to do with Simmons and my sister?" Helena asked skeptically.

"Miss Harper, if I told you that your sister is alive… would you believe me?"

* * *

Meanwhile in Finland, Sherry and Jake were enjoying the day after Christmas with a city tour alongside Rachael and Raymond. Stephanie offered to watch Marlowe for the day; she was planning to help him study some math so he wouldn't have to go out in the cold.

Raymond rode over the thick snow into a town bustling with activity and lights. "You two don't mind if we stop by our place for a moment, do you? There's someone there that I'm sure you'll be surprised to see, Jake." he said with a ghost of a smile.

Jake was in the backseat with Sherry, his arm wrapped around her while she showed him the pictures she'd taken on her cell phone. He furrowed his brow with interest to his uncle's words. "Me, surprised? Heh, not often."

"You'll see!" Rachael chimed with a giggle.

They stopped by their temporary residence; a large building with impressive design. It was a luxury hotel that fit the couples tastes with its indoor restaurants and saunas and other leisure activities. They weren't planning to stay in Finland much longer; in fact they were arranging to leave within the next two weeks.

Their room was on the fifth floor along the back of the building. The two pairs took an elevator to the floor where they got off and entered the room three doors to the left.

It was a nice place to crash, one bedroom, a kitchen, living room, dining area, and a bathroom with a hot tub and sauna room. The colors varied from white, green, violet and teal in each room.

Rachael offered them a seat while Raymond walked into the back area towards the kitchen. He returned a moment later with a look of confusion. "Huh, he's not here. He must have stepped out earlier… oh well; you two want to try the sauna until he returns?"

They exchanged looks before consenting to his proposal. Just as Rachael beckoned them to follow her, a knock came to the door. Raymond excused himself to respond to the sudden interruption and upon opening the door, Jake visibly stiffened.

"Jake? What's the matter?" Sherry wondered with a look of concern etched on her pretty face. Her eyes followed his to the tall and muscular figure stepping into the room. His eyes were narrow and seemed to pierce through her. He had an impressive jaw line and scars scattered across his face. Sherry stepped closer to Jake when the man approached them.

"Well, there you are boy – it's been a while." the man said with a small smirk. His voice was raspy and loud enough to make Sherry flinch.

Jake's eyes darkened just a bit. He sent a questionable look to his uncle Raymond before directing it back to the stranger. _It's been years since he's shown his face… what could be the reason he's here now? Besides, isn't he in hiding from Simmons? _Jake wondered quietly to himself.

"What do you want, old man?" he asked nonchalantly.

The man chuckled softly and turned his eyes to Sherry. "Wow, you've got yourself a little lady don't cha? You've come a long way from the good ole' days, haven't you son?"

Jake growled and pulled Sherry against his chest by wrapping a protective arm around her waist. "I asked you a question."

"Jake, who is this man?" Sherry asked meekly.

"This is my old mentor from when I was a merc..." he started slowly as the male before him extended his hand for Sherry to shake. "This is my girlfriend, Sherry." Jake introduced when the two's hands met.

Sherry blushed. "N-Nice to meet you, sir."

"It's nice to meet you too, sweetheart. Like the boy here said, I'm his former teacher, the name's Jack, Jack Krauser." He directed his attention back to Jake and his hardened expression seemed to turn into one of grief. "I know this is sudden but I need to talk to you, Jake."

* * *

A/N: Short chapter yes and I apologize but I hope you liked it! I tried to tell you guys/girls I had something planned for Debbie but I didn't want to spoil it – now you see why the details of her 'death' were so strange. But the question is… what the heck is going on?! XD

So, what does Krauser want with Jake and what's their history? What about Deborah's situation? Everything to be revealed in the next coming chapters because everything is about to start unfolding like crazy!

Thanks for the reviews that were given, I appreciate them. :) I'll try to update sooner for next chapter but now I've gotta finish working on _Memoirs from the Garden_. In the meantime, Read & Review! :D

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to let me know.

See ya soon!

-Vio


	19. Pandora's Box

Chapter 18

Pandora's Box

* * *

The tension in the room was debilitating. Raymond and Rachael looked at one another, both wondering if bringing Jack Krauser to see Jake was a bad idea. They were well aware that he was in hiding from a man named Derek C. Simmons but they didn't know the other details of it. They met the man back when Jake was a mercenary and had become quite used to his sudden appearances and didn't think too much of it because he was respectable to them and didn't seem to put Jake in any danger or stir up any trouble with the man.

That said, the couple couldn't help but question his motives this time around.

"Jake, I need you to come with me. It's very important." Krauser said with a stern face.

Jake narrowed his eyes; this guy pops up after so long and suddenly decides they need to talk? What was going on? "What's going on, Krauser? I'm not following anybody blindly."

Krauser sighed, "It's... about Simmons."

The mere mention of his name sent a cold chill down Sherry's back and made Jake's blood boil. "What's he done now?" asked Jake.

"If you come with me, I can feed you all the information you need to know. I think this isn't the right place to speak about it." his eyes darted to everyone in the room.

Jake was motionless as he considered his old mentor's purpose for all of this. Usually he was always given some sort of head's up before he showed his face, a surprise visit was daunting. _It's gotta be bad if he needs me away from everyone. _"Where do we need to go?"

"Jake -"

"Relax, Sherry," Jake interrupted softly. "I don't mean to alarm you but I need to go with him, alright? Just stay here with my uncle and Rachael." Sherry was confused; some stranger appears and speaks of Simmons and suddenly Jake's willing to go with him. It made her nervous and she had no clue what she should say or do. She didn't like this one bit.

"There's something you need to see boy, I'll explain everything once we get there." Krauser informed stiffly.

Jake let out a huff. He hated to leave Sherry but whatever was going on he knew he needed to be up to date about it. If a storm was brewing it was important he be prepared to protect her and Marlowe no matter what. He nodded to his mentor and turned around to face his frightened lover; he cupped her face. "Sherry, don't worry I'll be fine, just take it easy, okay?"

Sherry was speechless; she just stared up at him with wide eyes. What if he got hurt and she wasn't there to heal him? She couldn't bear the thought. Jake looked to his uncle. "Take care of her, if I'm not back before 17:00 [5:00pm], take her home and I'll meet her there."

Sherry was in disbelief. "Jake please, I need to talk to you."

He sighed and sent a look over his shoulder to Krauser, the man nodded and Jake gestured Sherry towards the bathroom where they could talk. He shut the door behind them and faced the shaken beauty he loved.

"Jake, I don't like this, please don't go." she pleaded, wrapping her arms around his middle.

He felt tormented about leaving her but he needed to do this. Krauser didn't just show up for no reason, surely with Simmons being the topic, something was fatally wrong. He couldn't risk jeopardizing her safety by bringing her along.

"Sherry listen to me," he started, cupping her face once more. "I'll be fine, I promise. Whatever this is, it has to be big. If Simmons has done something, it's important that I see what it is. I would bring you along but you know it's dangerous to have you anywhere near that bastard."

"Jake I know that but -"

His lips pressed against hers to silence her and he pulled her into a loving embrace. "Supergirl, everything will be fine but if you want you can go back to the house, it doesn't matter just as long as you're somewhere safe."

She held onto him with such desperation, if he pulled away he feared she would fall apart. "Jake... I don't want to be without you."

"I know, I swear to you I'll come back. Remember, now that you're mine I have to see to it that I do right for you. It's crazy for me to put you in danger, you understand?" she nodded into his chest. "Good, now come on. The sooner I see what he has to show me, the sooner I can return to you."

"I love you, Jake."

"I love you too, Sherry."

"Be careful..." she whispered, kissing him deeply once again.

"I will."

The two returned to the living room. Raymond, Rachael and Krauser could all see the unease the lovers were feeling at the idea of being apart but Jake looked determined and Sherry seemed calmer yet still upset.

"Let's go." said Jake.

Sherry held onto his hand tightly and his grip was even tighter. It was as if one were pulling apart a rope or thread with how difficult it was for the two of them to release one another. Almost like a game of tug of war only both sides were too powerful so the rope was tearing in the center. Their hands slid over each other's and their fingers gripped before the hold was finally over and their grasp was ended with the grazing over the tips to their fingers.

When Jake left with Krauser, Rachael could see the pain on Sherry's face. She walked over to the small blonde girl and hugged her soothingly. "He'll be back, he always goes off with people here - usually for business though…"

_Business... with Simmons?! _"Jake's worked for Simmons?" Sherry asked the taller blonde.

Rachael shrugged, her lips were tightened for a moment. "I don't know about whoever this Simmons person is but that Krauser man has shown up many times to take Jake with him – when he was a mercenary that is."

"But Jake hasn't been a mercenary for years." said Sherry. _So what could this man want with him? _

Raymond appeared just as troubled as Sherry. "This is the first time we've seen him in a while… at first he said he was just stopping by to surprise him, but now that I have my suspicions…" he turned to Rachael and kissed her forehead. "I'm going to make a quick call. El, keep Sherry company alright?"

"Sure Raymond…" Rachael replied as he strode away for the kitchen. "Don't worry Sherry… Jake always comes back."

Sherry could tell by the weariness in her voice that she didn't really have a lot of confidence in what she said and Rachael knew Sherry had picked up on it.

_I've got a bad feeling… _Sherry stared helplessly at the door. _Jake… please come back to me safely._

* * *

Piers slipped on his coat and grabbed his car keys, he waited patiently by the door for Helena to join him and once she did, he opened the door for her to exit first. "Where does Claire live again?" Helena asked while he locked the door.

The two swiftly started away from the door and down the flight of stairs; not patient enough to wait for the elevator. "I remember her staying pretty close to here. We should be there in no time."

They made it outside and hopped into his car, started it up and drove out of the parking lot. "I still can't believe she's alive..." Helena murmured. "It seems so surreal. Here I was trying to cope with her death and yet she was never dead to begin with... I don't know how to feel about any of this."

Piers nodded his head, his eyes focused on the road. "It's a relief... but knowing she's alive has me on edge. She requires the utmost protection and we should lay low too. I know Agent Wong said for us not to worry but Simmons could have us under watch or something - I'll start doing more inspections for our safety."

"Inspections?"

"I'll start looking for bombs and checking for wire-tapping, hidden cameras, the works." he answered turning down a street.

"You know how to deal with those things?"

"Yep, when I was in the BSAA I was a renowned sniper with some expertise in pyrotechnics, mechanics, and I even have some computer skills." he grinned, proud of himself for being the phenomenal soldier he was.

"Impressive." Helena purred, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to remember to reward my boyfriend for being good boy with a big sexy brain next time we're alone."

Piers almost lost concentration when she leaned over to lick his forehead. "Heh, erm, thanks." the tightness in his pants wasn't very welcome at this time. _Curse her seatbelt for not restraining her enough…_

They turned onto another street and Piers could see Claire's place. "We're here."

The car pulled to a halt and the two quickly piled out to rush to the door. Helena knocked thrice and then huddled close to Piers for warmth and assurance. He wrapped his arms around her middle and kissed her temple. "It's okay, you can handle this. I'm here for you, Honey."

"I know, thanks." she whispered.

When Claire opened the door, she looked around briefly before allowing them inside. Helena entered first and inspected the house the moment she stepped in; looking for her sister of course. Steve was in the living room watching some football game; when he noticed them he rose to his feet and approached.

"Hey cousin, Babe..." they nodded to him.

"Where is she?" Helena asked and she was trembling.

Claire came between Piers and Helena to stand beside Steve. She sighed, they looked at one another and finally Claire nodded. "We'll take you to her, but she's asleep."

"When will she wake up?" Piers asked.

"The nurse said it could take a bit," Claire started. "We've been monitoring her periodically and she's stable so that's the good news."

"I want to see her." Helena stated firmly, a glint to her eyes.

"Of course, she's this way."

Claire led the two through her home to an extra guest room beneath the staircase. She held her finger to her lips to quiet them and slid the door open slowly. The lights were on inside and the room was set up just like a hospital's, topped with an IV and other things. On the bed in the center of the room was the woman Helena had thought she lost.

Deborah laid there quietly sleeping; she looked at peace and had a few bruises here and there but other than that she looked okay. Helena crept closer to her bed, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes tearing up. _She's really alive! Oh my God - I can't believe it! _She nearly collapsed but Piers caught her and slowly led her away from the room.

Once the door was shut Helena began bawling her eyes out. The truth was so sweet, her sister was alive and she had a chance to be a family with her again.

Her cries were muffled by Piers' chest. He was so happy for her, he kissed her hair tenderly and lulled her softly. Claire and Steve stood by with heart warmed smiles gracing their features. "Come on you two, let's try not to wake her just yet." Claire said.

"Can we stay here for the night... in case she wakes up?" Helena asked with puffy red eyes.

"Sure, but that was the only extra bedroom besides Sherry's old room. You two can use it... since my baby's all grown up now!" she pretended to cry onto Steve and he groaned.

Piers thanked Claire and stood up straight, holding Helena in his arms. "You two have no idea how much this means to her, to _us_..." Helena was sniffling softly and her tears still hadn't let up. "Thank you."

Steve shrugged. "Eh, it was nothing. You're family and Helena scares me so I wouldn't dare cross her."

This earned a giggle from Helena; she pulled away from Piers and laughed at Steve's joke with everyone else. She forgot how good it felt to hang with her old crew. She really missed being around Steve, Carlos, David, and Sheva all at once. Claire and Piers were a wonderful touch to this. She found that she really missed her baby brother, Jake and even sweet little Sherry too.

Deborah being okay reminded her of so much light in her life. Piers and she had been wonderful together and she loved having him around. She never felt so happy in her entire life and it was because of Debbie's encouragement that this happened.

"Come on, I'll make some dinner, Steve do you mind getting their coats and showing them where to hang them?" Claire said, walking ahead of everyone.

"No problem." Steve shrugged.

Piers took Helena's coat and followed Steve to the front closet. Helena offered to help Claire make the dinner and followed her to the kitchen. "So," Piers started towards his cousin. "What made you decide to move in with Claire? You don't like the big luxury homes anymore?"

Steve furrowed his brow a bit. "There's so much shit going on right now, I don't think I'm feeling all the money love anymore."

"Really?" Piers asked, surprised.

"The whole foundation for all of us is crumbling ever since this crap with Simmons." Steve explained, hanging the coats. "So much shit is coming to light... it's like everything in our lives has been a _lie_."

Piers seemed perplexed. "What's going on?"

"The government is in shambles; all this time I thought my dad was doing right and I was reaping the benefits, turns out everyone's got dirt on their hands. That group you used to work for, they're suddenly involved too... there's something about biohazards and bio-terrorism among other crazy crimes coming up in all of this mess. Simmons is one serious fruitcake I tell you…"

"Who told you this?" asked Piers.

"That Leon guy talked to me and Claire about it. Turns out her brother - your former captain is investigating everyone involved with Simmons." Steve said, leaning against the door now that it was closed. He shook his head, "This is disturbing really. Here I thought all of us where linked because of work ethics but the reality is we're connected through everyone's dirty laundry."

"Everyone involved with Simmons... then that means Helena could be investigated." Piers predicated. "I don't want them bothering her while she's so vulnerable. I may have to contact Chris and see what's going on."

"You wanna know what the freakiest part is?"

Piers raised a brow at his cousin. "What?"

"Jake... I heard that he's not even _human_." Piers frowned, expressing disgust for such a crazy accusation. "No really, and he's not the only one."

"Who else? Helena? Claire, maybe?"

"Nope, my girl's 100% human…. but Sherry on the other hand..." Steve frowned a bit. "I mean, I'm more than aware of what she can do, I know what Jake's capable of... but to think they're not human is crazy. It makes me wonder if there really is a bio-weapon or something being used."

"Maybe," Piers said. "Just maybe..."

* * *

Sherry arrived back at the house alone. She was worried sick for Jake but Rachael assured her everything would be fine. She stumbled farther into the home, weak from feeling like a nervous wreck. When she arrived at the staircase, she realized Stephanie was approaching her, an uneven smile on her pretty face.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" she asked softly.

"I'm fine, where's Jake?"

Sherry saddened, "He had to meet with someone... he said he'll return soon." she was very much nauseous now; in complete disarray.

Stephanie nodded and took Sherry's gloved hands. "Come on, let's get you out of those heavy layers and into something more comfortable."

The women went into her room and Stephanie went inside the walk-in closet. Sherry changed inside the bathroom after Stephanie picked out some clothes for her. After she dressed and felt a little better, Stephanie encouraged her to join her in the sewing room.

They went straight there and Sherry settled in a comfy chair by the wall of different color threads and yarn; Stephanie sat in front of her in the twin chair. It was a small room with a sewing table and machine in the middle with the walls all lined with sewing materials and of course thread.

"Um, where's Mar?" Sherry asked meekly.

"Albert said he wanted to take him somewhere." she replied. "I didn't ask where and I should have... so I feel regretful, _once again_." she let out a breath and shook her head.

"Ma'am, what are you talking about?" the blonde pressed wearily. She didn't like it when Jake and Marlowe both weren't around. It made her feel lonely and uncomfortable. Topped off with the fact that Jake's mother was acting odd, she felt her nerves jittering even worse.

"I don't know... it's all so much to deal with."

"Ma'am please, it's okay, you can tell me anything if it will bring you some peace." Sherry assured sweetly. She couldn't explain it but she felt lousy... really lousy...

Stephanie sighed. "I've been a poor mother to my son." she lamented, catching Sherry off guard. "I have not been making decisions appropriately for my son or Marlowe... and because of my weakness my boys have been used time and time again."

"W-What are you talking about?" Sherry asked.

"I always run and hide when danger rears its ugly head. I know very well that Albert's intentions with my boys have not been acceptable. Yet I can't seem to stop him and I also can't turn a blind eye to it. There's too much to be worried for."

"What's going on, ma'am?"

"Albert has used my son and Marlowe's blood… to experiment on people with."

Sherry's eyes widened. "_W-What_?"

"Are you aware of what happened in Spencer city?"

"Yes," Sherry answered. "Jake told me about it."

She nodded. "The incident in Spencer city... He was only 2 years old - my beautiful little boy... he went there and returned to me. A week later the outbreak occurred and Albert informed me of what had happened; it was a result of Albert letting scientists experiment on Jake." Sherry heart stopped.

"I couldn't believe he put my child in danger that way... so I ran with him to Edonia." Stephanie whispered somberly.

_Oh my God... Mr. Wesker - he used Jake's blood to create a viral outbreak?! And Mrs. Stephanie knew yet she ended up right back with him...? _She felt sick to her stomach.

"Y-You knew what he'd done... and took him back?" Sherry questioned with a look of disgust. "He killed so many people and not only that, he ruined your son's life and stole away his childhood because he had to take care of you!"

Stephanie nodded solemnly, "He promised me that he was no longer involved in it anymore. I believed him like a fool... but my trust for him was completely shattered when he returned that day with Marlowe..."

Sherry said nothing as she listened to the woman with so many thoughts running through her head. "He claimed that Marlowe was adopted from a woman struggling to make it on her own. I believed him the first few months... until I realized Marlowe was far more intelligent than the average child and that he looked an awful lot like Albert. I realized Marlowe was indeed his son when he showed impressive strength as well. Jake was the same way as a child. He was a fast learner and incredibly powerful. That could mean only one thing..."

"He had a child with someone else." Sherry finished for her. _Of all the things that Mr. Wesker could have done, she loses trust in him because he 'cheated'? Not because of what he did to her kids? _

_And speaking of cheating… does this mean Ms. Excella lied to me about his fidelity?_

"Yes." she trembled a bit as she spoke. "I couldn't handle it and things only got worse once Albert began taking Marlowe on trips and returning with the child not even remembering what happened while they were there... I fell apart."

"Memory loss?" wondered Sherry but she was doubtful.

Stephanie shook her head. "It wasn't natural - it was forcefully done and I'm sure of it because Jake also experienced this whenever he went with him to gain money. I knew it was strange because Jake has excellent memory, he can recall anything necessary but whenever it comes to those trips, he suddenly only remembers talking to people and then they would return. I'd ask who he talked to and he couldn't even remember... that's not the son I know."

"That's exactly what he told me when I asked about his job." Sherry explained. "He said Mr. Wesker worked for the U.S government and that he did some work for them too by just talking. It was odd for me but I didn't question it - is he lying?"

"No." Stephanie said. "Albert works for the U.S government now but he didn't before and Jake really doesn't know what happens when he goes on the trips except the talking part. I wondered if it was Albert's doing to erase his and Marlowe's memory. I wouldn't put it past him... but what can I do? I'm powerless..."

"You could have left him like you did before and never look back." Sherry said firmly.

"I can't take Marlowe," Stephanie challenged with a slight frown. "He's legally Albert's son, not mine and if they share DNA then I really stand no chance. Jake has gone with Albert many times these past few years but the last time he went was earlier this year, around January, maybe even December of last year... and ever since Marlowe's been here he hasn't gone so I had no reason to take him away… besides, he's a grown man now."

"When did your illness start, ma'am?"

Sherry noticed the older woman stiffen greatly. "I... took to bed around May. It was when I became aware of Albert's infidelity..."

Something else caught Sherry's interest and she knew she might be pushing it but she couldn't hold it in any longer. "Ma'am, where you really ill all this time, or did you -"

"I… faked it. I feigned illness to avoid taking responsibility for my mistakes."

Sherry was silent; the truth had finally come out and she wasn't very pleased with it. She felt anger boiling within her for numerous reasons and she was about to voice every last one of them. "Forgive me ma'am, but I simply can't fathom any of this!" she said, trying to hold back her frustration. "Do you understand how much suffering you have brought upon these men? Mr. Wesker's relationship with you is not of my concern - but Marlowe's feelings are of dire importance!"

She rose to her feet, trembling with fury. "Do you understand that because you faked being ill that you caused him to feel like he was hated?! He felt responsible for your absence! Do you know how much pain that brought him?!"

Stephanie turned away from her and appeared to be remorseful but this did nothing but disgust Sherry to no end. "What about Jake? Because of what you would tell him about his father and his infidelities, his hatred for his father caused him to grow distant to Marlowe!"

"If what you say is true, then your actions have contributed to so much distress in this home..." Sherry was shaking while fighting back tears from it all. "…That it's gut wrenching…"

Stephanie said nothing, she simply stared at her lap, her face hidden by her auburn hair. Sherry let out a huff, flopping back down into her chair. "Why is it that the people in this home believe that being distant protects the family from harm?! One person cannot do it alone! There's safety in numbers! Coming together is what you all need to do instead of thinking like individuals and worrying about mistakes and errors all the time! Just start over and fix your mistakes so they won't happen again!"

"... You're right, Sherry." Stephanie bit her lip. "I'm a weak-hearted being who thinks solely of herself instead of the young ones in her life... and because of my foolishness... my boys had to suffer." It was now that she started to cry... "I-I should have protected them but instead I hid away to mask my shame..."

Sherry sighed, standing from her seat to wrap her arms around her boyfriend's mother. She was upset with her but this was Jake's mother, she held a lot of affection for her because of that. "Ma'am, no one's perfect and we all make mistakes - but if there's one thing I realize it's that it's never over until it's _over_. You have to stand up now and do right by the ones you love if that's where you feel you went wrong. It's not too late."

"R-Really?" Stephanie choked out dolefully.

She nodded. "Infidelities aside ma'am, don't feel ashamed in the least bit. You're an honorable woman who's remained loyal to her husband after all his mistakes and that takes a lot of courage. Besides, you're still pretty and I'm sure a lot of men would love to have a woman like you and would remain loyal no matter what. Don't ever doubt-"

"Well, well it's the crying lady who's always weeping about her husband."

The two women shot their attention to the open doorway of the sewing room to see none other than Excella. She had a look of mild disgust on her face as she leaned casually against the doorframe. Sherry released Stephanie and frowned at the woman she felt a degree of respect for. "Ms. Excella please, that's no way to speak to the lady of manor." _How did she even get inside the house? Could she have her own key?_

Excella scoffed and rolled her pretty eyes. "My _God_ Sherry you can be such a naive doll, you're just not as bad as Stephanie here."

Stephanie glared at her but said nothing. Sherry glanced between the two and furrowed her brows at Excella. "Please don't pick at her, she's very upset -"

"Upset about what – Albert '_cheating_'? I told you before that he is **not** being unfaithful."

Stephanie raised her head, her puffy eyes full of question. "Then how do you explain Marlowe?"

Excella sighed irritably. "I suppose the beating around the bush has gone on long enough." she stepped into the room, her stilettos echoing loudly on the wooden floors. "Albert has not been unfaithful to you; Marlowe is the result of an _experiment_ done by none other than _Simmons_."

That was the second time today that Sherry had heard his name and she felt sicker than ever. "An _experiment_?!" she echoed overwhelmed with distress. This was all just too much. "You're saying Mar was created by Simmons?"

"He's not some sort of _homunculus_ if that's what you're thinking." she said with a shake of her head. "Marlowe's mother was an employee of Simmons. While she was asleep, he had her injected with some of Albert's semen. I'm not sure where he got it, but the result was that this woman gave birth to little Marlowe. Albert had no idea that this had occurred until a _dear_ friend from an equally prestigious family informed him." Sherry wondered why Excella gave her such a queer stare when she mentioned the part about the 'friend'.

"Well, the moment he was informed, he and Jake went on an expedition to find him and immediately Albert knew the child was his – I mean look at him, he's the splitting image of him. Once Albert discovered what had happened to the little one, he demanded the mother surrender the child to him so that he could protect him from Simmons. Marlowe is here because Simmons has done tests on him before and Albert is seeing to it that it never happens again."

_Wait a second… _Sherry recalled her first meeting with Simmons. Marlowe acted very shy in greeting Excella but he was downright uncomfortable with Simmons. The thoughtful Sherry started to put two and two together – Marlowe was afraid of Simmons because he must remember what happened. _And if he remembers what happened – he must remember everything. Could it be that Marlowe has somehow restored those memories that were erased?_

"How do I know you're not lying?" Stephanie asked with a boiling rage inside her.

"She's telling the truth." Sherry cut in. "The first time I met Simmons, Mar was around him too and he was very uncomfortable around him. I assumed it was just because he was scary looking… but now…"

Excella nodded to Sherry. "Simmons is a mad man taking advantage of his predecessor's research and employees. Everyone knows this and it hasn't shocked anyone that this happened."

"Why would he do this?" Sherry asked slowly.

"He's out to create the perfect child so that he can take a sample of their blood to gain their abilities." she answered casually, this was like water under the bridge for her or something and the fact that she wasn't bothered by it made Sherry concerned. "While he's at it, he's planning to create his own little army of super humans to do his bidding."

She placed her hands on her shapely hips to stare the other women down. "I have no reason to lie to you. I'm merely doing Albert a favor by not letting his family fall apart. He's a dashingly handsome fool who tries to protect his loved ones by being cold to them to conceal his internal struggles."

Stephanie's mouth was agape in shock. "If you're telling the truth… then I've been condemning him for something he didn't do… and he just took it from me." she started to cry once more. "I hid from him when I should have stood by him…"

_**Look at you, so gentle, so sweet – loyal to the family and so full of willpower. Thank goodness, you're nothing like**__**her**__**. You've got spunk – there's a spark in you that won't let you crumble at the sight of danger. No, you're a fighter, I see that in you.**_

Excella's words made sense now; she didn't respect Stephanie because she thought of her as a coward. She should have demanded answers from her husband but instead she made assumptions and hid away from him.

_I could have been just like her… I made assumptions about Jake in the beginning._

"It's very noble of you to try and help the family Ms. Excella." Sherry said. _Especially since you're so taken with Mr. Wesker. _"But can I ask why didn't he say anything?" Sherry asked softly. "Why didn't Mr. Wesker tell her what was going on?"

"Well, that's because he doesn't have it in him to forgive himself for being taken advantage of. He shoulders his burdens alone and is willing to play the bad guy so long as you all are under the radar of Simmons. And because he was never _asked _what was going on." she glared at Stephanie. "When he told you he was no longer involved in exchanging blood with Simmons, he told the truth."

"Then where has he been taking them?" Sherry asked. "And why has he been erasing their memories?"

"He and someone else are developing immunizations with them. He's out to counteract Simmons work. When he erases their memory it's so that Simmons cannot interrogate them or pry answers from them. The research that is being done behind Simmons back is very important to stop his madness; if he were to find out about the scheming against him, Pandora's Box would surely be opened."

_If it already isn't… _Sherry thought. "So he's using their blood for good reasons then?"

"Yes."

Stephanie lowered her head once again in shame. "I… I am sorry, I had absolutely no idea..."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to your _husband_ and your _children_ for not being tenacious every-single-time they needed you most." Excella spat nastily.

"Now hold on a second!" Sherry cut in. "Sure she's made mistakes but no one can truly say how they would turn out in this situation because you don't know until you're in it – and even when you are it's really scary! Everyone is different, everyone handles things differently – it doesn't mean she's –"

"Put her priorities in the wrong place." Stephanie interrupted calmly. She dried her tears and rose to her feet. Taking a deep breath, she held her head high and faced the other women. "I've used my best friend to cover up my weakness and I could've risked her license by doing it. I've forsaken my children and I abandoned my husband… there's no need to make excuses for me, Sherry. I'm well-aware that I am a terrible wife and mother…"

She turned to the small blonde and placed her hands on her shoulders, a soft smile came to her face. "But you've shown me that I can make up for it… by trying to do better now." she turned to Excella and sighed. "You're disapproval of me isn't baseless and I understand it… but I have but one question. Who is Marlowe's real mother?"

"Don't worry about her," Excella said. "She's dead." The women gasped. "Yes, she was murdered within the last week. Poor thing, I suppose Simmons just couldn't afford to let her go... speaking of precious gems..." she directed her attention to Sherry. "You my dear, where is Wesker Jr.?"

"H-He's out speaking with someone, why?" Sherry replied.

"I hate to learn that. Oh well, I guess I'll have to stick you with Jill until he returns now won't I?"

"What? Why?" Sherry pressed. _Why do I have to be with Jill? What on earth is going on?_

"You're in danger, Mistress. It's best I stick you with someone trustworthy until your man returns." she snapped her finger and Jill entered the room with a serious expression. _What? Who else is out there? _Sherry wondered.

"Jill, see to it that Sherry never leaves your sight."

"I'm on it." Jill responded.

"Who am I in danger from?" Sherry asked weakly. She felt like she was going to faint.

"Simmons."

* * *

Snowmobiles sped over the snow as they hastily made their way for the outskirts of Valkoinen Mökki. They passed the border and headed out into a snowy wasteland. There was nothing to be seen for miles and the temperature was dropping with the early evening on the horizon.

Krauser led Jake farther and farther away from V.M, by the time anything was in sight the sun had completely set and the skies were instead lit up by the beautiful northern lights; the snow and ice began to glow under the brilliance.

Jake realized they were heading towards what looked like an old junkyard. Jake narrowed his eyes at the sight as they closed in. Something about what he was seeing disturbed him. It looked familiar…

Their rides slowed to a stop in front of what he observed to be an old airport. There were old planes lined up and Jake assumed Krauser must have had them approach this from the back of the place. The yard of planes was blanketed by snow, broken bits of propellers and wings were scattered about, standing erect in the thick snow on the ground.

Naturally the earth around them was quiet and darkness was thick as a blanket. The aurora borealis didn't seem to touch this place, nor did the bright full moon above; its radiance shown directly on the building yet eerily provided no luminance. Jake was reminded of Spencer city – even with the moon shining brightly, there was no sign of life anywhere and the world around the place seemed locked in eternal darkness.

There was a door straight ahead with a heavy padlock on it. Jake stepped away from his snowmobile just as his former mentor did a moment before. "What are we here for? And how come I never saw this place before? I've been coming here to V.M for years..."

"Of course you wouldn't remember." Krauser said, shaking his head. "Follow me."

"Huh? You make it sound like I've been here before."

"You have…" Krauser murmured, observing the big padlock. He pulled a gadget from the heavy bag on his back full of supplies and after a moment, the lock fell to the ground, taking the chain with it.

He pushed the door open and beckoned Jake to follow him. Jake lingered outside in the bitter cold for a moment longer to ponder if this all was familiar somehow. He recalled nothing so he trailed in behind his former mentor quietly. "We're going to take a shortcut through here… into the city."

"City?" Jake questioned with hard eyes. _What's he going on about?_

Most if not all of the building was in shambles. They walked a little further ahead and darkness enveloped them so they flicked on their flashlights. Jake mentally noted how well-prepared Krauser was for all of this, having all the necessities they needed for this trip.

They found a hallway area and then Jake could make out a boatload of luggage; it must have been where baggage was inspected before whatever happened to the place.

Krauser crouched down to the crumbling floor and picked up a small capsule to show to his former student. "_This_... is what happened here."

Jake furrowed his brow, taking the capsule in his hand to observe it. "What is it?"

"Long story," Krauser replied dryly. "I'm ready to talk about it with you, but I gotta warn you... you're not going to be pleased with any of this."

The hot-blooded redhead glared at him. "Just spit it out. I ain't got the patience for this stalling bullshit."

Krauser smirked in the darkness. "I figure you should know this because well, we both worked for Simmons at some point... but there's a serious evil going on with that guy."

"Tell me something I don't know." Jake growled, thinking of what that man had put the girl he considered a big sister through.

Jake could remember working for Simmons only once and that was when he was almost killed and his father saved him. Even to this day, he couldn't forget how Simmons allowed his whole team to be massacred and had even left him to die too.

_Heartless, smug piece of shit._

"Follow me, there's a lot that you need to see." Krauser said, bringing him from his thoughts.

Krauser and Jake walked through the airport and arrived at the front entrance. They pushed the door open and stepped outside. Again, absolute silence was around them. That almost spectral darkness surrounded them again and they pushed ahead.

Jake discovered that he was facing what used to be a town. The snow had completely taken over but fragments of the homes and shops had remained, even though it wasn't by much. It was like staring at an artic version of Spencer city, but at least Spencer still had inhabitants [albeit criminals]. No one could survive out here…

"It's just like Spencer city." he said aloud, the icy wind caused him to squint his eyes as he spoke; luckily he was dressed for the fierce Finland cold and didn't feel anything. "What is this place?"

Krauser continued forward, determined to arrive at his destination even with the threatening blizzard to come. "All of this used to be a part of Valkoinen Mökki. After the outbreak it became sealed off and V.M is now the small town you know."

"Don't tell me another incident like Spencer happened here." Jake said irritably.

"Unfortunately, it did." Jake frowned upon hearing that. "I promised you I would tell you about Simmons, but in order to do that, I'll have to go back to the beginning..."

As they continued their journey, Krauser decided it would be a good time to start talking; he sighed and began to open up.

"Derek C. Simmons is the sole inheritor of the Spencer legacy. He was raised by the man from childhood and therefore was instilled with Spencer's thirst for human experimentation. From a young age, Simmons had been working with him in their pursuit of creating the perfect human beings."

"The hell for?" Jake asked.

"For medical practice." he answered. "For years, Spencer tried to come up with a method to make humans from scratch but was been unable to..."

"This Spencer guy, was he the one who ruled that city before it was -"

"Yes, that's him." Krauser intercepted. "Before he passed away, Spencer gathered families that carry special traits within their DNA to experiment with. He thought it would be excellent to sample their DNA and hopefully orchestrate the perfect race of people with genius IQ and otherworldly powers. His goal was to create a new breed of humans – super humans."

Jake felt uneasiness within him. _I'm a super human…_

"Spencer aspired for beings to be brought into the world with special abilities that would make them immune to disease and mental disorders – as well as enhance our physical limitations so that we wouldn't have to worry about blindness or obesity – even aging would be a slower process. Unfortunately he died before he could see his dream accomplished."

The red-haired male was intrigued. "Wow… that sucks. He sounds like he was a brilliant guy."

"Oswell E. Spencer was a remarkable scientist. He believed in eliminating human weakness by selective breeding. It's the same procedure used with plants to prevent diseases and animals too. Thus he attracted a lot of us for his cause."

"You worked for him." Jake confirmed.

"Yes… and so did your father."

"Dad?" he was really interested now. _My dad used to work for this guy? Wait… could it be?_

_**Jake Muller-Wesker, you are heir to a proud league of men…**_

_**Our blood is to be used for other means, you are aware of this… **_

_**I've never been one to care for **__human__** customs, in fact I break tradition quite often… **_

His father's words consumed him as he replayed them time and time again. Jake had always known he was different; his father had told him that countless times. But now Jake was curious… _Krauser speaks of families chosen for that Spencer guy's research… does this mean that our super human genes or whatever were used by that guy? _He was greatly confounded.

"Spencer was a great scientist. Simmons on the other hand... he believed in other means of creating enhanced beings." Krauser continued after realizing Jake had no questions.

"Like what?"

"Simmons didn't care for the project, instead he thought of a more distasteful purpose to the idea. Instead of making humans healthier, he would rather use them for military work." he explained with a deep frown. "Some say it's because he's jealous of the idea of people being special instead of him."

"…What…?" Jake thought Simmons couldn't be more deranged.

"The selective breeding process wouldn't work for people already born but it could come in handy with our children. Therefore every child born under the care of Spencer's researchers would be born as super humans but the current generation are technically too late. Simmons doesn't like that because he's a spoiled brat, therefore he aspires to use the super humans as minions for himself to create an army under his rule."

"Sounds like that asshole perfectly." Jake snorted.

"He thinks of the super humans as animals he can train and make do whatever he pleases. Ever since he's taken over Spencer's legacy he's done nothing but abuse the research he's worked so hard on. He's a fool with no patience and a selfish drive to do for himself."

"His jealousy for the super human's is obvious because despite the fact that he was not born with the right DNA to be an enhanced being, he's taking the research and experimenting it on others until he finds the right combination he can take for himself. He wants to be a supreme human – he wants to be above us all… he seeks immortality." the older male felt a sickness in his stomach just by telling Jake this. The idea of Simmons ruling the world was unfathomably appalling.

_Well I'll be damned... the son of a bitch really is out for immortality! _Jake thought bitterly – and then it clicked for him. He grasped the capsule in his hand tightly. "This capsule... was used as a means of testing on humans wasn't it?"

Krauser nodded. "You may not remember, but the incident in Spencer city was similar to what happened here... though that was that first time he ever experimented on the open public." Krauser stopped in front of what looked like a hospital and slid open the doors.

"My mom told me about a virus being exposed to the people there... but what did it really do to the people? And what the fuck happened?" Jake pressed with a mild irritation.

He trailed behind his old mentor into the dilapidated and frigid building. The first thing that hit him was the horrid smell and he silently identified it as the sickening odor of a corpse. "Smells awful…" he grumbled.

Krauser sent him a grave look. "Come this way..." he walked farther into the dark hallway and Jake followed him, eager to learn the truth. He had no reason to distrust his former mentor, he'd always been honest with him. Still, he felt on edge... something was demented about all of this and he feared his father may somehow be involved.

He couldn't place it... but it was just a hunch.

Jake was halted in his advance when Krauser stopped a few feet ahead. That same foul stench hit his nose tenfold and it nearly made him double over because of his enhanced sense of smell. "Smells like a fucking dead body!" he fussed.

Krauser gestured him towards it and the redhead closed in on the most ghastly thing he'd ever laid eyes upon. It was a human body... at least he thought it was. The head had an elevated mass in the front of it and there were extra bones that looked like fingers traveling upwards on each arm, protruding from the skin. The body was somehow green even though most of the flesh was beyond rotted. Jake thought he would be sick.

"The _fuck_ is this?" he asked looking away immediately afterward. "It's like a goddamn monster or something!"

"That's what those capsules did to the people here… and in Spencer city." Krauser explained carefully. "The blood inside those capsules turned people into freakish creatures. They attacked others like wild animals and continued to mutate. Once Simmons realized he failed he would send the government's dogs in to eliminate them."

Jake's expression was of sheer horror. He'd been to Spencer so many times and never seen nor imagined something of this nature could have at some point strolled about the city… and it would have done it for over a decade!

To think that this _monster_ was in Spencer city at some point… it abhorred him. _And I actually took Sherry there… what if this thing really was roaming around and had harmed her? Shit… _Jake shook his head. _No, no more pity-potty shit, you've got to step up and do what's right for now on._

"It was all done by _Simmons_?" Jake was appalled when his former mentor confirmed this with a nod.

Jake didn't believe in monsters before but he sure as hell did now. And it wasn't the abomination lying before him – the real monster he was referring to was **Simmons**. _These were people at some point. It's because of that monster _**Simmons**_ that they ended up this way in the first place._

He believed every word of what his former mentor told him, but he had to be sure first. "...How do you know this? How do I know I can believe you?" he asked softly.

"Because I worked for Spencer _and_ Simmons a while before I met you... for the second time." He spoke slowly and carefully.

"Second time?" Jake repeated with narrowed eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Jake, forgive me but remember what I told you about Simmons using Spencer's research to further his gain? Well... Jake, I'm sorry to tell you this but..."

"But **what**?!" Jake demanded angrily. He was pissed - Simmons had really been getting away with doing more than torturing Helena, he was using humans as guinea pigs for research in his pursuit of eternal life! Jake wanted nothing more than to bash that bastards face in and then throw him in prison to be mauled by other criminals.

"You were the reason why Spencer city fell apart."

Utter silence followed. Jake was absolutely stunned by those words. His mind replayed them over and over so he could process it correctly – it was as if he'd heard him wrong but he knew very well that what he'd said was real and not a figment of his imagination.

"..._What_?" his voice was hoarse.

Krauser lamented telling him this; Jake was a good kid and he seemed to have developed into a fine young man… but the truth needed to come out and he deserved to know just exactly what Simmons had put everyone through. "The first time I met you was when your father lent your blood to Simmons... and he tested it on the innocent people of Spencer city."

_Dad… used me as a blood donor to destroy a city?_

"My father... he used me... to destroy innocent people and turn them into monsters?" he struggled to control his rage but he could feel himself slipping. "Why don't I remember anything?" his tone was slowly rising.

"You were young when it happened and after every time you were used, your memory was erased. This research continued until your mother took you and ran away."

_My memories have been toyed with?! …Mom saved me from them – so maybe this is why she ran away from my father before… but why the hell would she take him back after he did that to me?! _Jake felt betrayed; this time by both of his parents. His father used him to wreak havoc on innocent people and had his memories manipulated – who knows how many times. And what was his mother thinking when she allowed them to go back to him?

_I knew I hated him for a good reason. Sherry told me I should forgive him – heh, let's see what she thinks after she learns what he did. _Jake's fists were quivering with rage. "If he did that to me..." _He could do it to Marlowe... _Memories of all the times his father took Marlowe away on 'business trips' surfaced in his mind. _Right under my nose... he was using my little brother just like he did me. _

His fury peaked so much that his cerulean eyes became reptilian and he impulsively reached out and punched the nearby wall in a flash. Krauser watched with amazement at the strength of an actual super human. His strength caused the wall to crumble on impact and fall on top of the hideous creature.

What happened next startled the older male completely.

The monster let out an inhuman shriek and began to try moving from under the rubble. Krauser lunged away quickly and reached around to his bag for his weapons. "Holy shit –"

Before he could finish his sentence, Jake snatched it up from the ground with one hand and held it high in the air by its lower jaw; his gloved fingers were crushing its skull. As he stared at it he observed the rotted out eyeballs and broken arms so that it couldn't even reach for him, its legs were nowhere in sight. All the fingers on its arms were moving like worms. It was macabre; disgusting, hideous… It was once a _human being_.

_Don't worry…_Jake thought as he stared unafraid of the creature. He saw past its hellish features and imagined a human, crying and begging to be freed from their hell._ I swear to you, he will pay for this. _His fingers tightened and in a split second, the skull was shattered. The body fell to the floor, finally completely dead. A moment later it dramatically turned to dust and scattered away from them courtesy of Finland's icy winds.

Krauser sighed after a moment. "I… I never saw that coming." he said slowly. "I had no idea it was still alive… especially after how long it's been."

"When did this happen?" Jake asked quietly.

"You wouldn't remember because your memory was erased, but it happened earlier this year, maybe January." he shook his head. "V.M was a large town just a short while ago… but what happened was covered up once again by Simmons. To prevent suspicion by the BSAA, they sealed away this half of the city to eliminate the outbreak – apparently they did a poor job –" he was referring to the live one Jake just killed. "…And released a gas that erased the memory from everyone here in the town so no one could report anything suspicious."

"Why go through so much trouble?" Jake pressed bitterly.

"He was already under heat after what happened in Spencer. If Simmons is connected to this incident as well, he's a goner for sure. He has many U.S allies but his foreign ones aren't very fond of him because of what he does in these countries."

"And if there's no evidence…"

"There's no arrest." Krauser finished. "No matter how many witnesses there are, the U.S won't take the bastard into custody for something so heinous unless there's hardcore evidence."

Jake's eyes widened. "Spencer…"

"What?"

"Spencer city," he repeated. "Most of it is boarded up and sealed off from society just like this place is. If I can get inside and reach Oswell's mansion, who's to say I won't find any more bodies like the one I just killed?"

Krauser hummed, taking the younger male's words into consideration. It would be dangerous to send him in alone seeing how the creature from earlier came alive but what would be better than to send Jake in – after all, he was a _super human_. "Not a bad idea, though I don't know what is left inside the forests of that place… it could be dangerous even with your super strength."

Jake faltered a bit; his once mentor was right about that. He couldn't risk getting himself killed and not being able to return to Sherry and his little brother. "Quick question, if my blood caused the incident in Spencer city, then whose blood caused this?" He asked slowly.

"I think it was Alexia Ashford's son."

Jake knew Alexia was a super human like himself but he wasn't aware she had a kid. "She had a son? Since when?"

"A few years ago but the kid was taken away from her by your father earlier this year after the incident." Krauser explained with hesitance. He prayed Jake would figure out the rest without him saying another word.

His prayers were answered too. Jake sighed; he lowered his head and shook it slowly. "My brother… Marlowe is her son, isn't he?"

Krauser nodded and Jake's blood ran cold upon his next statement. "...Jake, she was killed last week."

_My dad cheated on my mom with Alexia and had Marlowe, and then took him away from her – no doubt to experiment on him with Simmons… and now Alexia's dead. _"No wonder she never showed up, even after all the messages I left I never got a response. She might have been in trouble and I didn't even know."

"She wasn't innocent, Jake." Krauser said abruptly. "She didn't willingly allow Simmons to use a sample of your father's semen to have a child but Marlowe is a product of two super human's and thus he is a product of selective breeding. He's got Alexia's traits and your father's. Knowing this, she did willingly put your little brother up for research with Simmons. Your father interfered to stop her. He told her if she tried to get him back he would turn them both in to police."

"Oh so now my dear old dad wants to play hero? He's got some nerve – especially after what he did to me." Jake said dryly; he was trying to maintain his anger. "I suppose it's good news that he didn't bang the chick though." _Pull it together Jake, don't freak out again… you're past this explosive anger shit remember?_

Krauser sighed. "Originally all of us worked to prevent diseases and advance science for humans... but with Simmons around, all of its fallen apart." he shook his head. "Your father did not just hand your blood over to Simmons. He was deceived into believing it was all for testing… but Simmons got a hold of it and Spencer city is the result."

…_**no one's perfect – parents are just as stupid as the rest of us but we just don't notice that until we get older. Their mistakes just mean they're **__human__**. **_Sherry told him that once before…

_**Since we don't like the things our parents have put us through – that should motivate us to be different from them – make different choices and do whatever we can so we don't make the same mistakes.**_

"Save it, Krauser." he said calmly. "If my dad wants to atone for some crime he did in the past, by all means I'll let him if he wants to do right by Marlowe – I can't judge anyone by their past if they're willing to change. I'm not the cleanest dude around anyway."

Jake was surprised by his own words but he was being honest. He didn't feel any anger to his parents anymore. Sherry's words rang true for him, even if his father deemed him and his brother to be super humans they still had human flaws – like making mistakes. His father may have been an idiot to blindly offer up his blood and his mom may be a weak-willed woman sometimes, but he could deal with it as long as they were willing to change.

But he did have some things he needed to say to both his parents and they weren't pleasant words. "That said… if my dad's got any current involvement with any of this, he's going down right along with Simmons. It's that simple…"

He raised his head to stare at the bright moon above. When he punched the wall earlier, it caused part of the ceiling to collapse with it. For the first time the moonlight actually penetrated through the darkness; it shown directly on him it seemed.

The light in the darkness… with its circular shape, like the face of a certain child… _Sherry…Marlowe… _he realized he had to get back to them. He had to protect Sherry and his little brother from all of this.

_**So long as the corrupt are present in this world, you must make sacrifices to protect the ones you love - even if it means forsaking your own humanity to keep them happy...**_

_To hell with that pathetic logic. _Jake thought.

_**It's up to you to decide whether you want to be the man you know you are or succumb to being the man your father would like you to be.**_

_I will not build a wall to shield the ones I love from reality. I'll protect them in my own way – by being there for them to protect them from the world and its corrupt people. __**I am**__ their __**shield**__ – I am not my father._

_Thanks Sherry. _

Krauser actually smirked. Whatever had happened to Jake since they were apart seemed to have made him into a much better man. He thought more logically and while he was obviously angry that he was used, he was wise enough to see that if everyone involved in this circus [besides Simmons] was guilty of anything, it was ignorance and meekness.

"I need to go." Jake said suddenly, turning to make a speedy exit but Krauser stopped him.

"I know but there's one more thing you should know." he smiled at the student he'd never been more proud of. "None of us have the courage to face Simmons and stop him. The only one who is trying to some degree is actually your father… and one more researcher; he's your father's former partner."

"Who?"

"The man who comes from a family with their own special trait, though it only shows up in the women of the bloodline. This man's name is William Birkin."

Jake's eyes lit up. "_Birkin_?" he sighed, shaking his head once again – it was one more thing he needed to face. "He's… Sherry's father, isn't he?"

Krauser nodded. "Yes."

It was all so much to take in – all in one day! First he learned that his father let Simmons use his blood to send a city to hell, then he learned his mother knew about it and still took his dad back, next he found out his little brother was actually the product of his father and a woman he trusted since his teenage years, and finally he learned that Sherry, the love of his life was also a possible super human?

He had that in the back of his mind for a very long time but now that it was confirmed, it unnerved him. He'd have to keep an even more protective eye on her. He felt a headache coming on. _Poor Sherry... her father must have been experimented on her just like mine did for me and Mar. That must be why she regenerates. _

_Wait, if our father's were once partners… then that means..._

"My father knew who she was the moment he hired her." Jake whispered aloud. "And even more disturbing, Simmons would know who Sherry's father is if he knows mine. And because he knows Sherry's last name…"

Jake's heart stopped as reality nearly knocked the wind out of him.

_**Albert, where did you find this **__heavenly nymph__**?**_

_**Let me take her off your hands, she's just too perfect for words.**_

_**Do you have any siblings? Preferably sisters that are as **__capable__** as you are?**_

"He must have pieced it all together at some point." Krauser said.

_Shit!_

* * *

A/N: Uh-oh, things are really getting crazy! O_o

I am seriously pumped about these coming chapters! I originally imagined this fic would go into near 30 but sadly I see the end is very close. I'm not sure how many chaps are left exactly but I'm estimating maybe 3 or 4 [Not counting if I make an epilogue].

I know it's not often this happens but in this fic Wesker is actually a good guy in here. I really struggled with this but I had to remember the theme of this fic is "Coming together", "Establishing bonds", and well… "Healing lonely hearts" lol

Next chapter is the big one. Sherry's parents will be showing their faces!

Thanks for all the reviews, they help my hungry tummy XD I'll be updating hellah lot faster because I'm on a roll! Woot! XD

Review please and if you have any questions or concerns I'll be sure to respond since I know this chap was confusing as hell.

See ya soon!

-Vio


	20. A Poisoned Legacy

Chapter 19

A Poisoned Legacy

* * *

Jake left Krauser behind as he sped on foot back to his home, making good use of his inhuman agility that rendered him capable of sprinting like a bullet fired from a gun; he was naturally faster on foot than a vehicle of any sort.

He had to get back and make sure Sherry and Marlowe were safe.

He leapt over the giant border that separated the old V.M from the current in a split second. His movements were a blur; he'd already arrived at his uncle and Rachael's residence. Earlier when he was with Krauser, it took them over four hours to escape from the city to the empty ice and snow fields to the old part of the town, it took Jake a mere two minutes to alight on foot.

The hot-blooded redhead flashed through the front doors of the luxury hotel and up the stairs. The receptionist was behind the front desk and when the doors flew open she nearly jumped out of her skin. Snow flurried about the floors and the breeze caused papers and other items to scatter and stir. She caught as many papers as she could before quickly moving to shut the doors.

Jake arrived at Raymond's door and knocked twice. When his uncle opened the door he was startled by his nephew's appearance. He was covered from head to toe in snow and his ophidian eyes flashed dangerously at him. "Jake... –" he was interrupted.

"Where's Sherry?" he demanded; his aura was powerful and it was as if gravity were weighing the older male down. Raymond was alarmed by the sound of his voice - there was something hiding under his tone, almost like the bellowing of a crocodile.

"We took her home shortly after you left..." Raymond answered reluctantly.

His nephew disappeared in a flash before he could say another word. Raymond was motionless with surprise. Rachael approached from behind him asking if he were alright, he said nothing as he shut the door and walked towards the kitchen with her trailing behind. He needed a nice hot pot of coffee because he could feel a sleepless night in the horizon.

Jake continued on his way, zipping through traffic and everything else that impeded him in his desperate voyage home. If Sherry was at the house he knew she was safe with his father there and Marlowe as well. He usually would track her by her scent but her essence was always left wherever she traveled. At least now he knew to follow the trail home and her smell grew stronger as he neared.

He opened the front door and slammed it shut behind him. As he started for the stairs, his ears perked up at sound of footsteps scurrying into the front room. His mother emerged from the dining room with Rebecca and Billy.

"Jake, what's going on?" Stephanie asked worried.

"Where's Sherry?" he asked with the same resonance he gave his uncle.

Stephanie caught sight of his eyes and shivered under his hard stare. "S-She's upstairs in her room. But Jake – "

He bolted up the stairs, leaving her behind. Rebecca and Billy looked at one another, confusion and shock stamped on their faces. Stephanie shrugged to them helplessly. She was worried for her son but when his eyes pierced through her the way they did, she felt hesitant to chase after him.

Jake came through the family room and into the small corridor outside Marlowe and Sherry's bedroom. He was surprised to see a tall brunette standing outside of the door. Jake could make out a Px4 handgun on her as well as a small stun gun. She noticed him quickly and her icy blue eyes narrowed upon sight.

"What the hell?" she voiced out, looking him over with caution and resolve. Her left hand instinctively reached for her gun. She'd never seen eyes like his before.

"Who the hell are you?" Jake growled impatiently.

"Jill Valentine, I'm looking after Sherry - are you Jake Wesker?"

Learning that she was a bodyguard brought his adrenaline rush down quite a bit. Judging from the brunette's tough exterior, he felt he could relax some. "The one and only," Jake said with a slight smirk. "You gonna let me in or am I gonna have to wrestle off a woman?"

Jill settled down some and let out a held breath. "That won't be necessary. Rest assured she's been in good hands awaiting your return. I'm an on and off member of the BSAA with high ranks in the force. I'm more than capable of eliminating any threat that may surface."

_What is the BSAA doing here? Did my father call them? _"That's great and all but are you gonna let me in?" Jake said irritably.

She huffed but a smile came to her face. "Of course, she's right inside waiting for you with Excella. My apologies for questioning you, I'm not used to staring into the eyes of a dragon." she humored.

Jake shrugged and opened the door to enter; Jill followed him inside, closing the door behind them. The two climbed the small staircase into Sherry's part of the room, the door was already open and inside Excella stood in front of the blondes bed, showing her a rather suggestive book while said blonde woman was in the center of her bed, red faced and appeared quite uncomfortable.

"Um, ma'am, Jake is here." Jill spoke, hoping to stop the awkward moment. Excella blinked but instead of get embarrassed, she merely smirked.

Sherry felt her heart sing upon seeing her lover had returned; Jake of course felt the same, he immediately scooped her into his arms and wrapped her in a loving embrace. He conveniently decided to ignore what Excella was doing to his girl, he was more pleased to see her safe.

"Jake I'm so happy you're okay!" Sherry wept quietly, her words muffled by his heavy clothing. "And you're wet from snow!" she pointed out with a cute giggle.

"I promised you I would be fine, Supergirl. I'm glad you're safe too." he buried his face into her hair, inhaling her flowery aroma. "Sorry for gettin' ya all wet, I kind of ran here."

Jill and Excella watched the lovers with small smiles. Jill turned to Excella, "What do we do now? Now that he's here to keep her safe, should we take our leave?" she asked.

Excella shook her head. "We'll wait for Albert, but come, we will give them some privacy for now." the women descended the stairs and exited the room.

"Where's Mar?" Jake asked, pulling away from her.

Sherry noticed his abnormal eyes and flinched. "H-He's with your father..." Jake frowned and she unintentionally backed away out of fear.

He balled his fists and resisted the urge to punch the nearest wall. He didn't want to frighten Sherry any more than she already was. He hadn't touched her skin so he didn't know what she was thinking but he felt her shiver when she was in his arms. "Dammit! Do you know when they're coming back?"

"...Ms. Excella said they should be back soon. They had to go pick up someone from the airport... She said the only reason why he took Mar with him was because you weren't here to look after him." Sherry replied slowly; she felt nervous and confused.

_Why do Jake's eyes look that way? He usually does it when he's angry... who's he angry with? _Sherry wondered with turmoil. She decided to push the topic further… "Jake, what is going on? Your mother's suddenly a nervous wreck and Ms. Excella shows up and starts talking about the most ridiculous stuff I've ever heard. She even told me that Simmons is after me… is it true?"

Jake was alarmed, thinking Excella must've told her about it he turned to face her with an uneasy expression, "I'm sorry baby girl... it's a long story." was his troubled response. He briefly recalled his old mentor informing him that Sherry's father was an old partner of his dad's and that still unsettled him.

"I'm trying to stay brave but I feel lost again." Sherry said suddenly, sitting down on her bed with a pillow in her lap; she hugged it tightly to her chest and let out a woeful hum. "I feel like I used to when you and I first tried working on our relationship months ago..."

Jake peered at her with a look of penitence, he sighed. "I'll explain everything when we get Mar. There's a shit load of crazy going on right now and I've got some words for my father and my mother when this is all over."

Sherry flinched under his gaze once again and this time he noticed. He shot her an odd look. "What's wrong?"

"Y-Your eyes..." she whispered meekly.

"Oh, sorry – I ran all the way here and whenever I use my powers this tends to happen." he said closing his eyes. "The feel of your skin should calm me... or a nice kiss." he smirked.

Sherry blushed and closed in on him shyly. He wrapped his arms around her and their lips met. Jake could feel his body cooling down to its normal temperature. When he used his powers, he was numb to cold or excess heat; his body just maintained a steady febricity. Now that he was returning to normal, the heavy weight of his many layers of clothes began to suffocate him.

He pulled away from her and started tearing at his clothes until he was in nothing but a long sleeved black shirt and his jeans. He debated removing his thermo pants beneath the jeans but decided against it for the moment. He met eyes with Sherry finally and felt relieved when her smile graced him.

"That's better..." Sherry said softly, although this wasn't exactly how she felt. Excella had taken the time to actually distract her from the dilemma around them by showing her a _sex magazine_... Where she got it was beyond the small blonde's comprehension but it certainly got her attention despite her embarrassment.

The magazine had photos of people engaging in numerous sexual conquests. Some were having sex on kitchen tables, there were others engaging in oral exploits in public spaces [something Sherry never thought she would have the nerve to do]. Sherry secretly enjoyed being shown all the different positions in the book. She wondered would Jake like to experiment with her...

It was simply too embarrassing to think about asking him. _Oh come on Sherry, you're a grown woman – there's nothing wrong with wanting to indulge your sexual appetite with the man you love... you're 22 years old for Pete's sake!_

_Oh gosh, why am I thinking about sex during such a tough time? Am I insane? ...Maybe I'm just stressed out and want some relief...?_

Excella had told her to ask Jake to _please_ her; apparently it would calm her wrecked nerves. Sherry just didn't understand why Excella felt she needed to constantly cater to her sexual needs and encourage her to engage in various means of intimacy with Jake.

_Jeez, this woman must really be compensating for the failed relationship she had with Mr. Wesker by living through me and my relationship with Jake..._

_Still I rather like the idea of Jake pining me to a table with those scary eyes staring me down as he – I should stop..._

"Jake, what's going on? Is Simmons really after me?" she asked quietly.

_If Excella told her he's after her then my hunch was right... Seems I got here just in time. _"Everything is gonna be okay baby girl," Jake spoke softly, wrapping his arms around her again, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry things got all fucked up but I promise I'll take good care of you."

"I know you will..." she said sweetly. "Promise me that no matter what happens you and I will be together. We're gonna face whatever comes our way together."

Jake smiled, kissing her lips chastely. "I promise. I love you Supergirl."

"I love you too, baby." she snuggled into his chest.

"Jake! Albert's arrived!" Excella's voice sounded out.

The lovers looked at one another before quickly starting for the door to meet Wesker. Jake had more than a few questions for his father and Sherry just wanted some clarity for once - she hoped her boyfriend's father could provide her some answers.

When they reached the downstairs front room, Marlowe raced up to Sherry and practically leapt into her arms. Jake eyed his father calmly but there were two persons in the room dusting the excess snow from their layered clothing and coats.

Jake noticed Sherry tense up as soon as they reached the bottom step, her eyes were wide and she looked completely shaken. He frowned and looked at the two strangers closely only to stiffen shortly after.

Shortly cut blonde hair, eyes the color of water, and ivory skin...

Sherry's legs felt weak. She couldn't believe they were actually there after all this time of being away from them. All the memories of her lonely childhood and the hurt returned to her conscious against her will. The scars she long thought she healed, turns out they were still fresh on her fragile heart.

Her parents had come back into her life. William and Annette Birkin had found her all the way in Finland.

* * *

Helena was fast asleep pretty early in the night. Piers on the other hand joined Steve and Claire on the couch. The three of them were unable to rest, tension was high and questions stirred about that none were really willing to answer.

Steve was perplexed in every sense of the word. He wondered if he should consider himself a dead man walking or just one lucky son of a gun. He hadn't done anything insanely criminal but he could very well find himself under some serious pressure from the law eventually. That said he was hopeful he, Claire and his bodyguards [especially Sheva because of her pregnancy] were spared from penalties. The die had been cast thanks to Simmons and now everyone had something to worry over.

Piers had tried to call Chris numerous times only to reach his voicemail and this confounded him into a mist of unpleasant propositions. He worried did this mean Chris had already begun his witch hunt and if so, did that mean Helena was at risk of hounding from the BSAA? He knew he needed to protect her and help her with Deborah but in situations like this he was at a loss for words.

The three stared at the TV but they obviously weren't watching it. Claire clicked it off with the remote, waking the men up from their daydreams and thoughts. "So... what's everyone thinking about?" she asked with a forced smile.

Steve scoffed, "Nothing." was his short reply.

"Hell is about to break loose," Piers started, he wasn't about to pretend everything was fine. "Steve, I need to know what we're all up against here. Just be honest with me – what have you heard?"

His cousin groaned and threw his head back onto the couch, his crystalline eyes closed slowly. "I've heard a lot of nothing and a little of a lot."

"Wow, vague are you?" Claire drawled irritably rolling her eyes. "Steve, stop being an ass and just tell your cousin what's happened."

Steve sighed but consented to his girlfriend's plea. "I've heard that Simmons... is the reason why all these women are turning up dead."

Piers didn't react; this was something he figured out once Deborah 'died' in the hospital because of Simmons' demands. "What else did you hear?"

"The reason why he's been doing it goes back to that non-human thing I told you about. Apparently he's been testing innocent women with some sort of 'virus' that's supposed to make them heal themselves but I'm guessing it doesn't work with how beaten up the girls turn up like." said Steve.

"That's sick..." Piers said with disgust

Claire bit her lip at the mention of 'self-healing'. She didn't want to discuss what she'd learned about Sherry with anyone but they all knew what the blonde woman was able to do. Claire wondered did Simmons' experiments have something to do with Sherry and if that was the case... what could she do to protect Sherry from the crazed madman?

"He's one sick son of a bitch, that's for sure..." Claire added with a sigh. "Poor Deborah must have gone through it too."

"Um Claire, do you know if Deborah's pregnant?" Piers asked suddenly, he wondered how the baby would survive a vicious beating like she'd endured.

Claire was caught off guard by the abrupt question, she shrugged clueless. "Not that I know of but then again she's only been here a few days. She doesn't look pregnant."

_So... what the hell's going on? Is she pregnant or not? Or maybe she lost the baby during the incident... _Piers quietly went over different scenarios in his head until he shook them off. "Sorry to startle you... it was just something I'd discussed with agent Wong..."

"Well, they're taking this case as it goes, they can only inform us as much as they know and even then they can't share too many details for the sake of the case itself. Listen, it's late and I think we all could use some sleep. We'll get up tomorrow and pray Deborah wakes up but if she doesn't, we're going to have to keep pushing and just pray for the best."

Piers nodded, rising to his feet to stretch out his arms, he let out a soft yawn. "You're right Claire, thanks for everything. I'm gonna call it night."

The red-haired beauty smiled sweetly, "No problem, rest up and we'll talk more in the morning."

When he left to join his girlfriend in bed, Claire directed her attention to Steve's motionless form. His gaze was straight ahead at nothing in particular and his body was stiff, uncomfortable. She could tell he was deeply troubled. "Steve, come on let's go to bed." she urged him gently.

"If my dad's done something wrong, I'm screwed." he said with difficulty. "My association with him will ruin me and all the good I've ever done for foreign trade, drug busts - it's all nothing. I can't believe I never saw anything suspicious."

"Steve, you don't even know if your dad was truly involved. Guilt by association is exactly what you're pulling right now towards your dad and that's what you're worried about for yourself." she sat next to him, leaning her head on his chest and wrapping her arms around his middle. "Come on mister, that's no way to be to your dad. Give this all a chance to play out and whatever happens, happens. In the meantime, let's all hold out together and see how things go."

Steve pulled her closer to him and kissed her hair. "Yeah, I know beautiful... but you know what would really help me right now?"

"What?"

"A nice kiss." he grinned slyly, a glint in his crystalline eyes.

Claire rolled her eyes but responded with a smile of her own. She kissed his cheek and then his lips - hopping up from the couch a second later. "I'm tired." she snickered, practically skipping to her bedroom. Steve followed behind her shortly afterwards.

* * *

Piers let out a huff once he settled down in bed beside Helena. His gaze traveled to the ceiling as his thoughts wandered endlessly. Although he was tired, he felt restless and couldn't shut his eyes. He glanced at Helena's sleeping form to see she was awake, her brown eyes studying him in the dark.

"You okay?" she asked quietly, the bed sheets and covers were pulled all the way up to her neck.

Piers smiled haggardly to her, "Yeah, sorry I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Don't lie to me," she frowned slightly. "There's something on your mind and you're not sharing. We're supposed to share with each other so start talking pansy boy."

He sighed, _I forgot she was so bossy... _"Steve said that Simmons could be responsible for the murders in the city. He also said it's because of some sort of biological examination. This story just gets more ominous by the minute. I think we should call Jake tomorrow, something's bothering me and I think he should be able to answer my questions."

Helena offered sympathetic countenance, her hand came to rest on his muscular chest and she scooted closer to him. "We need to stay calm. I mean, if you wanna call Jake that's fine but as for everything else, the only way we're going to be able to confirm that is if Deborah tells us... but she needs to wake up in order for that to happen."

"Hey," Piers pulled her against him; a soft kiss was placed on her lips. "She will wake up Honey, let's just be patient... and you're right. We need to stay calm and wait for your sister before we panic."

A small smile came to her face and she climbed on top of the ex-BSAA member. She kissed him everywhere and gently nibbled on his ear. "I love you pansy boy."

"I love you too sweetheart." he breathed, squirming a bit to ease his coming erection. What was it about her that just turned him on?

"You think Claire would mind if we got busy in here?" Helena asked playfully, her hand snaking down beneath the covers to fondle him outside the thin material of his boxers.

Piers groaned softly, the kinky aspect of her proposal aroused him even more. Helena knew just how to get his mind off his personal dilemmas. He fondled her ample bosom and let out his signature giddy _giggle_. His girlfriend simply rolled her eyes and kissed him. "I don't know about Claire but I sure don't mind." he said finally, a big smile on his face.

"You are such a nerd." she deadpanned and kissed him again.

* * *

**Warnings for Mature Content**

* * *

Piers slid her panties down under the covers and cupped her sex, stroking her sensitive clit as delicately as possible. She growled in his mouth and slipped her hand into his boxers, stroking his tense, thick shaft. His skin was soft and tanned like her own and she liked the cute blush he would give whenever he liked her caress – he would bite his lip, fighting back a moan until he simply weakened.

He pulled off her bra and cupped her breasts, kneading them while drowning her moans with his mouth. "Shh, Honey - you don't want us to get caught do you?" he cooed with a grin.

She growled and yanked his boxers down, pulling his stiff length from its confinement. "I'm horny." she said with a shrug. She kissed him once more and began slipping his stem inside her. She gasped from the immense pleasure as she slowly took all of him.

Piers placed his hands on her hips to steady her as she started grinding on top of him. He whistled with satisfaction, enjoying the beautiful woman straddling him, her generous mounds danced with her motions. She looked amazing – hell, she _felt_ amazing.

He placed his hand over her mouth to prevent her from crying out too loud and in the same instant he laid her flat on her back, climbed on top of her and began thrusting into her. He grits his teeth in pleasure while she scratched his back and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Deeper..." she growled although most of what she demanded was muffled by his hand.

He obeyed her and drove deeper inside her while resting his forehead against hers. Their moans and other sounds were quiet but frequent as the pleasure built up; the idea of possibly being caught by Claire or Steve gave them an intense adrenaline rush, the two redheads could walk in at any minute and would surely tease them.

Piers suddenly felt dirty for doing this but it didn't bring him to decease – it made him more daring and he was willing to take a risk. He moved his hand and placed a hard, passionate kiss on his girl's lips. "Turn around." he ordered firmly in his deep, raspy voice.

Helena did as he asked, a few whimpers escaped her when he groped her buttocks none too gently. He pulled her luscious backside to him and entered her from behind; her surprised gasp was soon followed by a string of growls and purrs. His thrusts were powerful, her breasts felt heavier as he pounded into her moist center and the lovely brunette was forced to bury her face into a pillow to prevent being too loud.

Piers wasn't pleased by this, he wanted to hear her, to see her reddened face whenever she brushed her locks of hair away, her cursing him and then murmuring how good it all felt. He didn't get that with her face hidden. He cupped her breasts with his hands and pulled her flush against him, she turned her head to kiss him while he continued thrusting.

_Much better... _He thought when she whimpered into his mouth. He slowed up to pound deeper into her, she definitely liked it judging from her reaction – she threw her head back and cried out breathlessly, allowing him to nip and kiss at the peachy skin of her neck.

Helena felt like her world was spinning. She couldn't believe that Piers was actually taking her from behind without her asking to try it. It felt wonderful – his powerful core allowed him to hammer flawlessly into her, her ass cheeks were starting to feel sore from it all. She loved it; for the first time she was actually comfortable with letting him lead, though it wasn't going to be an everyday thing.

Helena Harper was not one to play submissive too often, it was a rare occasion.

She started to feel weak, her orgasm was nearing and she made him wrap his arms around her protectively. "I'm so close..." she breathed, her tone was a higher pitch than normal.

"Me too." he replied huskily.

It didn't take long before they came together. Piers muffled her scream with his hand again and he bit her shoulder to silence himself. They took a long moment to calm and steady their breathing before they pulled apart. Helena gasped and sighed almost lovingly, she felt relieved and satisfied. Piers took a bit longer to compose himself; he'd came inside her and while it wasn't the first time, this time he felt like he'd erupted like a volcano... it was strange and so unlike him to be reckless as he was.

_Maybe that's why I came so hard. _He thought, he looked bashfully to Helena and she smirked.

* * *

**End Mature Content**

* * *

"Aww Piers... come here." she purred, taking his hand and laying him on top of her. "You're such a good puppy." she was teasing him but he didn't mind.

"I take it you enjoyed yourself?" he muttered, burying his face between her breasts.

"Thoroughly babe," she kissed his hair. "My legs feel like shit but I'm very pleased by your performance." she chuckled.

"Sorry Honey, I couldn't stop myself." was his muffled response.

She laughed. "Don't be sorry you dope! I... really liked that side of you. I like seeing you look wild and not so stiff ya know?"

Piers sighed contently, wrapping his arms around her. Helena ran her hands through his hair with a warm smile. A few moments later she discovered he'd fallen asleep on her. Her smile widened and she pulled the covers over them, briefly she wondered why Claire and Steve didn't hear anything while they were having sex. The bed squeaked and the headboard pounded loudly on the wall – there was no way they couldn't have been heard.

She got her answer when she heard a loud groan from another room and she had no doubt it was Steve. _Well, looks like they were pretty busy themselves..._

She stared down at Piers; he looked so peaceful when he slept. He was a naturally airy man with a kindness to him that she just adored. He was a heavy thinker though and for that reason she worried he would stress out too much if he was left on his own for too long. He was too considerate, always looking out for others and it weighed on him a lot from what she could see.

It was his charitable nature that made her want to care for him. He was quite the goodie-two-shoes and she loved that about him; he did whatever he could for others, but he needed someone to back him when he was at his most vulnerable and she was prepared to play that role.

The least she felt she could do was help him get some shut-eye.

"It's about time you slept." she yawned. "I knew all you needed was a good fuck to relax." she smirked to herself. _I'm such a great girlfriend, when he needs a sedative; I'm always here to provide it._

* * *

Wesker requested that everyone join him in his study, they all followed the mysterious man to his office space, it was considerably larger in size than the one in London; a sturdy wooden desk in the center of the room with a leather office chair behind it, a window directly after it. Bookshelves lined the walls; a bear skin rug was before the desk and a red loveseat on either side of the desk.

Sherry and Jake piled inside the office side by side, deciding to stand on the right side of Wesker's desk. They were joined by Sherry's parents, Excella, Jill and two newer faces [one new face in Sherry's case]. One of the 'new' faces was Chris Redfield, BSAA captain and Claire's older brother. He was a tall man with burly muscles and a decent amount of facial hair. The other guest was also pretty tall and built similar to Chris but he was a lot hairier and looked a tad bit older.

The office seemed a lot smaller with so many people inside, the air was thick with tension and Sherry could feel her nerves kicking in more than ever, Jake rubbed her back to comfort her.

Wesker stood behind his desk and motioned for Excella to shut the door. Marlowe sent Sherry and Jake a wave before being taken away by Stephanie. Once the door closed, silence enveloped them all. Jake quietly observed Sherry's parents; they were delicate to look at, just like she was. If it weren't for the thin ghost of a mustache her father had, he would've thought they were both women.

"Before we discuss anything, let me first introduce everyone to one another." said Wesker, his hands joined behind his back. He was calm as always, it was as if the dismal aura in the room didn't affect him at all. He gestured to the two gentlemen in the room. "These gentlemen are Captain's Parker Luciani and Chris Redfield. Chris is a former apprentice of mine who now works perpetually within the BSAA with Luciani and many others."

The two nodded to everyone in the room. Chris sent Sherry a small smile in acknowledgment, to which she returned. "These women are Excella Gionne; my personal assistant and Jill Valentine, another former apprentice of mine who's also gone on to serve in the BSAA." Wesker finished.

Jill smiled a bit. "I'm no longer serving... Albert. I work for Excella now." she said.

"Thank you for clarification," he said and turned his attention to Sherry and Jake. "This is my son Jake and his consort -"

"_Girlfriend_." Jake corrected irritably, rolling his eyes at his father's old-fashioned terminology.

"**Consort**," Wesker asserted. "No need for twisting words. She is my son Jake's _consort_, Sherry Birkin."

"Who uses the word _consort_ anymore?" Jill asked Excella quietly. The other woman discreetly pointed to Wesker with a slight grin.

Sherry didn't raise her head. She could feel her parents staring at her. "Nice... to meet everyone." she muttered slowly. Jake sent her a worried look but said nothing; he knew she was upset about her parents...

"Everyone, this is Annette and William Birkin... they are Sherry Birkin's parents."

Another silence enveloped the room. Jill looked back and forth between the delicate blonde woman and her parents; she could see the resemblance but Sherry didn't look overjoyed to see them in the least bit. She glanced at Chris; he appeared to be curious as well.

William spoke up first, his eyes were tired and Jake noticed he didn't look at all like the monster Sherry described him as... "Hello everyone, my wife and I –"

"Why are you here?" Sherry cut him off, her voice was low and shaky but laced with venom. Jake had never heard her speak like that before, it was so unlike her.

Her father sighed softly, "I can see this is a very unpleasant visit for you. I can't say I don't disagree with your feelings... I understand your discomfort wholeheartedly, but..." Jake caught sight of pain in the man's icy eyes; he looked as if he were on the verge of a mental breakdown... "First let me say how happy I am that you're alive and well, Sherry. It's a relief you're safe."

"Look at her William," her mother, Annette began with a dreamy gasp. "She's so beautiful that she glows..."

Sherry felt like her heart was breaking, her legs were weak and she felt frequent pangs in her stomach. Jake observed her weakness and wrapped an arm around her. "Sherry, why don't you sit down?" he suggested.

"No... But thank you, Jake." she contested, gently wiggling from him to settle for holding his hand behind the loveseat where no one except Jill and Excella could see. _I need to be strong. I need you to let me be strong. _She told him knowing he could hear her.

He nodded after a moment and met her parents gaze just as she did. "I'll ask again, why are you here? How did you find me?"

When they didn't say anything, Jake decided to speak up for them. "Because of my dad. They know each other, Sherry - they've known each other for a long time." She looked helplessly at him and Jake sent his dad a sharp look. "In fact, they're pretty close buddies - isn't that right dad?"

Wesker nodded once, the air around him was nonchalant, it was a wonder did he ever feel emotions. William spoke up again, "Sherry, Albert and I have been friends for years. We've worked alongside each other since before you or Jake was even born."

Sherry shot Wesker a look of almost betrayal, but that summed up her feelings. She felt she'd been deceived by him. He'd known her parents all these years - could that have been why she was hired in the first place? She felt woozy and looked at Jake for a moment, and then she lowered her head as if to hide her despair before it overtook her.

"Miss Birkin," Wesker cut in solemnly. "I understand you have unresolved issues with your parents but they are here for a more important purpose. Do you really want to dwell on personal enmities or shall we discuss more dire matters?"

Jake frowned and tried to speak for her sake but she gave his hand a tight squeeze, shaking her head. _It's okay Jake... I'm okay... _He knew she wasn't because her mind was racing but he would respect her feelings for now.

"Okay, answer Sherry's question then, why are you here?" Jake said while gritting his teeth from agitation.

"Albert contacted us and informed us of the looming threat towards our daughter and we came here to help." William answered calmly from his seat on the left loveseat.

"What threat? Is it Simmons?" Sherry asked, keeping her head lowered. She seemed more alleviated and Jake assumed it was because she composing herself for the time's sake. She was such a docile woman... he loved her for her ability to keep a leveled head in any situation.

"That is correct, Miss Birkin. You see, Simmons is a malicious man with a thirst for power and domination. You're parents are well aware of this and have come here because they wish to protect you from him." said Wesker.

This struck a nerve for Jake, he thought it was disgusting to treat your child as less than human and suddenly decide to help out in the drop of a dime. He would protect Sherry, he didn't want her parents there to upset her and lurk around pretending to be doing the right thing for once. It was too sudden and suspicious for his tastes. "Oh that's cute, so what's the plan Birkin's? You wanna lock her away again?"

"Jake!" Sherry scolded, finally raising her head to look helpless at him. She was mentally begging him to stop, to stand down.

His words seemed to cut deep, both of her parents flinched in response to his words. They looked mortified; Jake was still struggling with all of this when it came to them. They were so delicate to behold, like rabbits afraid of him - the big bad wolf. So much like the beautiful woman he'd fallen in love with...

"Jake, please..." Sherry pleaded – her watery eyes big and sad. She directed her attention to her father; they both wore such pained expressions it was hard to watch... "Father, why is Simmons after me? Did I do something wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong, Sherry." said Annette. "We are the ones that did wrong... by you."

_Oh fuck this, I'll be damned if I stand here and let them shatter her composure. They know damn well they're hurting her! _"Cut the bullshit and stop talking in riddles dammit - get to the point!" Jake demanded and the hand not connected to Sherry's was balled tight and trembling. If they didn't start talking there was going to be hell to pay.

"Jake –"

Jake cut her off. "No, Sherry! This has gone on too long. It's time they tell us what the fuck is going on."

Sherry knew he was right. She glanced around the room, the BSAA members all appeared intrigued by the scene unfolding yet displayed an obvious discomfort. Excella was calm as always, her hand on her hip, her eyes focused solely on Wesker.

Even at a time like this, she remained hopelessly devoted to him.

"Very well, my son - Excella, why don't you –" Jake interrupted his father by holding up his hand to silence him.

"No, no, no I don't want her speaking for you. You need to start talking for once." he said.

Wesker frowned a bit behind his glasses but maintained his composure. "Fine, what would you like to know, Jake?"

He turned to Sherry and smiled a bit. "Sherry, go on... I can wait. Talk to your parents." he told her gently.

Sherry silently thanked him, taking a deep breath before speaking up. "There are a lot of questions I have for you two... and it isn't easy to talk to you, especially after everything that has happened. But this isn't the right time for me to go on an emotional rollercoaster with you – there's something seriously wrong here and I need to know what's going on. Why is Simmons suddenly after me?"

William hesitated for moment and Sherry appreciated that Jake didn't speak before he could pick up the nerve to do so. "Simmons is after you because of your blood, Sherry." he said finally.

"My _blood_?" Sherry echoed. "What is so special about my blood?"

"William, allow me to answer that question for the benefit of everyone in this room as the subject is extensive beyond simply Miss Birkin's involvement." Wesker intercepted, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Of course..." William conceded with a short nod. It was quite the sight for Sherry and Jake, they felt a strange sense of deja vu from their fathers. Wesker was confident, strong but indifferent while William was hesitant, delicate but expressive.

"I'm sure that everyone here is aware of who Oswell E. Spencer is, yes?" Wesker began. "For those of you who aren't, he was a phenomenal scientist who made endeavors into preventing natural human weakness by means of selective breeding. He attracted a lot of people to his cause with his idealism and hope for the future. William, Annette and I are among many enthralled by the man's goal enough to assist him."

"Spencer started his pursuit of this science by gathering families from around the world to partake in different sorts of analysis. It was with this that he discovered there were families carrying genes that surpassed others. Eventually he narrowed the families down to three in particular that were carrying different but specific attributes. These three families carry super human genes contributing to three human aspects: mind, body and spirit, therefore benefitting each family with a quality that makes them uniquely vital for his project."

"The first family was the Ashford's..."

"That's Alexia's family." Jake noted.

"Correct; the Ashford family is the oldest of the three families chosen by Spencer and that's why their legacy is so great in comparison. This is the only family that possesses an extravagant ambiguity that allows their special gene to exist in either gender born into the family. They carry what is known as "T-Veronica", a virus that affects the brain and offspring are frequently able to display unimaginable genius from a very young age. This family is also vulnerable to 'doubles' as one may call it. They will have a twin born alongside them or they will possess two personalities – most of us refer to them as _Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_. One twin will be a genius; the other will be a lunatic." Wesker explained.

"Alexia did have a twin but she said he died from some disease." Jake mentioned, definitely perplexed.

"Actually, he went insane. You see, Alexia in this case was Dr. Jekyll; her lunatic brother was Mr. Hyde. The double's effect was tenfold for the two but she was lucky and became a prodigy while her brother wound up hysterical." William said for clarity.

"In the event of a dual personality, the Jekyll and Hyde effect still comes into play but it is more balanced when they share a host unlike the actual tale. In this case, sharing a host exhibits much merit – their impressive intelligence and genius makes them very intuitive. This virus does come with its own disadvantages. The Ashford's do not understand their bodies very well. Their sense of touch is fairly poor; they could carry a disease for years and remain oblivious until it wipes them out." Wesker continued.

"So that's why she didn't feel it when Simmons used her?" Jake asked.

"Yes, because of the disconnection between their mind and body, they will often feel numbness to sensations. That's how Simmons was able to inject her with Albert's semen without her knowledge." said William.

_Wait, what's all this about Alexia? What does she have to do with this? _Sherry wondered quietly. She started piecing together everything; she recalled what Excella told her about Marlowe's mother being inseminated without permission with Wesker's DNA. _Is she...?_

"Alexia is Mar's real mom." Jake informed her.

"So that's why he's such a genius..." the small blonde woman authenticated quietly.

"Marlowe is the product of two gene pools, his genius quality is but part of his being." said Wesker. "To elaborate more extensively, I'll have to delve more into the second family Spencer used involved in his experimentation. The second family is our own, Jake; the Wesker's."

Jake furrowed his brow but remained silent, Wesker went on with his annotation - his gaze traveling to Chris and the other BSAA members. "The Wesker's are carriers of the Progenitor virus, a virus that makes us physically more powerful than the average human. We have incredible speed, enhanced sense of smell, hearing, taste and especially our touch. The progenitor virus has made us the embodiment of human strength. However, we are not without our own defects."

Everyone watched with surprise as he removed his sunglasses, exposing his ophidian eyes for them all to witness. He took a moment to console himself before speaking once more. "...The same virus that gives us strength has weakened and drastically affected our vision, causing near blindness for us at an early age."

Sherry gasped, sending Jake a look of concern. He looked away from her in mild shame; he'd only told her their vision was lacking, he never shared that he could be blind with the coming years. She felt devastated picturing him hiding his eyes from the world and relying on other senses to compensate. That was a hard way to live she imagined.

"So, you're blind?" the man named Parker asked with difficulty, he had a heavy Italian accent.

"Not quite..." Wesker said with heavy austerity, he placed his shades onto the desk and took in some air. "... It is because of Spencer that I am still able to see where my ancestors were blind once they reached the tender age of 35. Thanks to Oswell E. Spencer, my son and I will only have slightly impaired vision."

"Meaning?" Sherry asked almost eagerly.

"Jake's eyes will be fine until he's 35, by then his sight may be greatly debilitated in the dark but he shall be fine during other circumstances."

Jake was shocked; he thought he was doomed but because of that man Spencer, he would maintain his vision with only a minor setback. "So, you took me to that Spencer guy and... he saved my sight?" he asked incredulously.

"Precisely, now do you understand why I am so loyal to him, even in his death?" Wesker inquired to his son.

"Yeah, sure I guess." Jake said and a small smirk graced his features when he saw Sherry's eyes light up with hope and appeasement. _I'm gonna be okay, Sherry... thanks to my father. _All these years he thought his father was a monster, but it turns out he was just trying to save him from the cursed side effects of the virus they carried.

"Are there any more side effects, Albert?" Jill asked.

"Well," he slipped his glasses on once again. "There is the problem pertaining to our learning skills. We are fast learners but our thought process leaves a lot to be desired."

"What do you mean?" Sherry wondered.

"We're impulsive – we do things without thinking of consequences." Jake explained with a twinge of amusement. "Even I knew that, Supergirl. I mean really, me and my dad both screw up because we're clueless sometimes."

"Touché." Wesker mused with a slight smirk.

"So that means that Mar is the combination of both the Ashford's T-Veronica virus and the Wesker's Progenitor..." Sherry recounted, her index finger tapping her chin as she stared at the ceiling processing all the information. "So that explains why he's so intelligent yet strong and even has the Jekyll and Hyde thing going on..."

"Kind of creepy on him ain't it?" Jake noted. Sherry nodded in agreement, she loved the little guy but he was quite strange when he went from cute and cuddly to pensive and articulate. She realized his Mr. Hyde side only shown itself when situations were tense and he was on a defensive. It was rather interesting; his Jekyll persona was cheerful, silly and intuitive, while Hyde was stern, resourceful and protective.

Like his father said, they balanced and did a pretty good job of it.

"Marlowe is the child that Spencer longed to create throughout his life. He is a super-human child, the product of selective breeding." William explained.

"The only problem is that Simmons created Marlowe without either party's consent." said Wesker with a quiet fury.

"Why didn't you and Alexia agree to it?" Jake asked.

"I... was already with Stephanie so I refused."

"So... you put mom before your job, your research... and the guy you respected above all else?"

"Of course," Wesker stated with a nod. "Unlike Simmons, Spencer would not try and force us to do anything we didn't want. He wouldn't resort to such dishonorable tricks either. Once I declined, he accepted my decision."

_Wow, so he really didn't ever cheat on mom. If he could turn down a man he owed everything to, he surely wouldn't try with anyone else. _Jake realized and felt relief within him... Maybe he could really trust his father... "Alright, so who is the last family?"

"The final family is ours, Sherry - the Birkin bloodline." William said with trouble, he glanced to Wesker and his friend gestured for him to continue. "While the Wesker's virus passes down to the males, ours only shows up inside the women. The Birkin's are in possession of the G-virus, this virus makes our women take on the embodiment of a walking remedy."

"Sherry, as a child born from the Birkin bloodline, you've inherited a special trait that only the women from your father's side of the family can utilize. You are able to regenerate, meaning your body will restore itself if you are harmed and you are immune to all diseases – mental and physical. Your abilities expand even beyond just yourself. You see, your skin glows and gives off warmth that provides comfort and heals others by simply being in their presence. You are also able to prolong your life span. These many qualities are what makes your blood so special." her mother informed quietly.

"Wow, seems like Sherry's abilities surpass the rest of the families." Jake mused.

"Not quite," said William with a shake of his head. "They are mentally more stable than others yet possess average to normal human intelligence. Physically, our women do not age at a normal rate, they age slower and that's why you've always looked younger than others Sherry. While you're 22 years old, you look closer to the age of a teenager."

Most would be flattered by this but Sherry felt quite uncomfortable. She would always be physically different from the others and because of her blood, she ran the risk of exposing her abilities to everyone she interacted with by merely being in their presence...

_Will I ever be happy...? _

"You're gonna be fine, Sherry. I swear you'll be fine." Jake told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Wow, you're pretty good at reading her." Parker noticed with a smile. "Another perk from that blood of yours?"

"Actually, it's not. It's weird but, I can read her mind just by touching her." Jake stated casually. "Mind explaining that father guy?"

Wesker decided to speak for him. "The Birkin women flatter the other two families because they cater to our needs. The Ashford's are not in tune with their bodies, thus the Birkin's are able to keep them free of disease they are unable to detect. As for us, they attract us with their smell, their glow and their touch. Since we are naturally tactile persons, coming in contact with them makes us more aware of our thought processes."

"So, because we don't think much naturally, they make us more conscious instead of being these loose cannon tyrants and that's why I can hear her thoughts." Jake confirmed.

"Yes," said Wesker. "Should either family connect with a female Birkin, the outcome is different. In our case our lack of reasoning makes us sensitive to their touch and read their mind. In the same instant, they provide us a deeper understanding our own psyche. In the Ashford's case, since they are very conscious, the Birkin's offer them emotional support, resulting in the Ashford's being less detached and more expressive of their feelings."

"So if we were to put this simply, if there was an army or something: the Ashford's would be the strategists, the Wesker's would be the soldiers and the Birkin's would the nurses?" Chris confirmed.

"Precisely, though Spencer terms us a bit differently. The Ashford's are the mind and cognition, the Wesker's are the body and strength, and the Birkin's are the spirit and essence."

"Therefore the Birkin's embody the balance of the human mind and body to nourish the spirit." William added.

"Wouldn't she have to be super strong too?" asked Jake.

"No, none of the three families are born super humans, we each simply carry a powerful ability that must be mixed, mingled or tested, the outcome breeds advanced humans. The three families in union prosper to create a perfect being. Marlowe for example is one form of a super-human; another form would be an Ashford and Birkin or Birkin and Wesker." Wesker summarized.

_In other words, if Sherry and I have a kid, they'll be a super human – but she and I are just advanced humans naturally. _Jake thought quietly.

"Jake," Sherry started. "Aren't you also immune to disease? I'm just curious because it's been said that I am but not you, but you told me you were..."

"He is immune to disease but that's because of the Wesker's being in tune with their bodies but they are prone to madness because they're not too well in tune with their own minds. The Ashford's are ignorant to disease but as long as they have a dual personality, they are unable to experience mental illness... though one might think the doubles effect is a mental illness within itself… The only time it does occur is when twins are born and Mr. Hyde's personality overtakes one child and drives them to madness." Annette explained.

"You speak of the other families and their setbacks but what about the Birkin's?" Chris inquired. "Does their ability have any side effects? Like the Wesker's have blindness looming over them and their thoughts are often ignored and the Ashford's are physically ignorant and got multiple personalities?"

William sighed, this was one hell of a discussion... "My daughter, Sherry cannot heal multiple persons at a time, if she does then exhaustion will set in and she will faint or fall asleep. Also, there's no guarantee that her abilities will work every time. My grandmother was the last female with the G-virus before Sherry came along and her abilities were at their peak most of the time, other times they lay dormant."

_So that's why I've always passed out whenever I healed someone... and why there were times when I didn't heal anyone at all. _Sherry recalled how she was unable to heal Sheva until she touched her. Could that have been one of her dormant times? "How many people am I able to heal at once?" she asked.

"It depends, especially on the persons being healed. I imagine healing Jake will immediately render you unconscious because he has a powerful physical presence." said William.

"Why is that?" Jake wondered.

"The Birkin bloodline does not hold well against the Wesker's, although it's fine with the Ashford's." William said hesitantly. "While the G-virus compliments and helps both other viruses to manage their flaws, the G-virus will not be able to heal the host very easily if they heal a Progenitor virus carrier and especially not if they're injured by them in any way."

Jake felt a pang in his stomach. "You mean... if I hurt Sherry she can't recover?"

"That is correct; the progenitor virus will stall her healing process for long periods of time." Wesker confirmed.

The former mercenary felt perturbed by this.

"Healing normal individuals mentally should cause no problem at all, physically... There are only certain things you can heal, Sherry. You can do anything for your own body, but for other's you are limited unfortunately. For example, you can cure them of an illness, internal injuries such as kidney failure or internal bleeding, exhaustion, and maybe even bruises... and so on, but you cannot restore amputated limbs on others or bring them back from the dead." said William.

"What about a pregnant woman?" Sherry asked, thinking of Sheva.

"That counts as two people and an unborn child brings immense strain on you. You see, my grandmother had your abilities and when she was pregnant with my father, he was reportedly the most healthy baby boy they'd ever seen. It turns out that while she was pregnant with him, most of her healing properties were focusing on him. Her healing abilities were lessened because of him and she was more vulnerable to injury as a result but of course once he was born, she was able to regenerate herself again and continued to until her death."

"How did she die if she prolonged her life?" Chris asked roughly.

"...There was an unfortunate testing that occurred with Spencer and me. My grandmother volunteered to undergo testing and somehow she was exposed to the Wesker blood... she died as a result." William said and his head lowered in shame; no doubt everyone could see that he held guilt for it.

"So that's how you know Sherry can't handle our blood..." said Jake. William nodded once without raising his head.

"You have no reason to worry William; Jake is taking excellent care after your daughter and hasn't hurt her." Wesker told his friend with confidence.

"Nor will I ever hurt her." Jake assured.

"I have no right to request anything of you Jake Wesker, but I cannot resist the need to beg you to keep her under watch. If Simmons gets a hold of Sherry, he could experiment on her. It's a guaranteed result that she dies from your blood experimentation but with her being so young he may go the same route that he did with Alexia. Sherry's blood will keep any child she may carry in excellent health, and Simmons may try using her for that very reason..." William pleaded humbly, sending him a look of sheer despair.

"Are you saying he might use me as a _breeding_ tool?" Sherry felt like she would be sick.

"Should he get a hold of you, he could use any of the samples of advanced human semen to impregnate you because of your blood. That and a product of Birkin and Wesker blood has yet to be done and he may try it so that he can see the result. There's been no qualms within our research that the Birkin-Wesker union will produce an incredible super being and it surely wouldn't be against his reasoning to try a Birkin-Ashford experimentation..." said Annette, she sounded bitter.

"...In other words, a Birkin woman would make a fine carrier for a super baby, huh?" Jake said, obviously appalled by the idea of Sherry being used to pop out babe's for the government and a psycho like Simmons.

"So now you see why she must be kept away from him." Annette said firmly.

"You all are willing to testify to this should we have him arrested, correct?" Chris asked for clarification.

"I'll do anything to keep him away from my daughter." William resolved, grasping his wife's hand in his for support, she agreed with him.

Sherry was a mess mentally; she was ready to pull out her hair and run away screaming because she was literally losing her composure. Finally, hearing her parents declaring how they would give their all for her safety, she lost it.

"I'm confused... why would you try and protect me all of a sudden? I thought you always hated me! Especially after you locked me away -" she stopped, pulled her hand out of Jake's grasp to run it through her hair.

She was trembling from anxiety and knew she was bound to explode. She needed to leave immediately and decided to do just that to prevent causing the conversation to digress.

Before Jake could say anything or go after her, William rose to his feet and spoke just as she opened the door. "No, no please... Ask us anything you want Sherry." he said with much affliction. "We owe you answers and we'll be absolutely honest with you, please... if everyone could give us the room so we may talk...?"

"Of course." Chris said, exiting out past Sherry and signaling for Jill and Parker to join him. Wesker gestured for Excella to follow the BSAA members and she did so. Just as Jake and Wesker walked towards the door, Sherry shut it in front of them, halting their advance.

"Please stay..." she said while facing the floor. Jake and his father glanced at one another before conceded to her request. Wesker walked behind his desk to have a seat in his chair and then beckoned Jake to do the same on the loveseat opposite William and Annette.

Jake wrapped an arm around Sherry and pulled her against him to walk over and have a seat. Sherry kept her head lowered for a long moment, she couldn't collect herself anymore. It was impossible now, she was simply unstable...

Still, she would speak, but she would not look at them. "W-Why did you lock me away in the house? Why did you keep me separated from other kids?" she asked quietly but everyone could hear.

"Sherry, we did a poor job with you and we take full responsibility for it all... but it was to protect you from Simmons." Annette explained softly. "Trust me when I say the moment you were born was the most delightful moment for us." a smile graced her features and Jake furrowed his brow with interest.

"For the first two years we kept you as happy as we could... We played with you and spent time with you. Everything was perfect... until Spencer informed us of what Simmons had done to Jake. He warned us to keep you a secret from Simmons because he didn't trust him." William said.

"In fact, Simmons tried to get a hold of leftover blood samples from William's grandmother but they had gone missing at the time, no doubt Spencer had them hidden but immediately after he passed, Simmons threatened us and said that if we had any daughters, he planned to use them in his despicable quest for immortality. He said if we tried to stop him, he would have us killed and use our children after our deaths..." Annette said morosely.

"You mean to tell me that you kept me locked away because you were afraid of Simmons getting me?!" Sherry raised her finally, her face was stained with tears and her cheeks were flushed from anger. "I went to school from elementary through high school - I was in everyone's vision every single day and you never had a problem with that...! I could have been exposed to him then!" she shouted, frustrated.

"Sherry... we moved to Raccoon city immediately after Spencer died. We never worked with Simmons and instead took up a job working along with Albert for the U.S government. While we worked on building some sort of counteractive to Simmons plots, you were safe on school grounds and we had hopes that it would be looked at as a coincidence you had our last name." said William.

"That's why we didn't attend your graduation or other public events with you and we were all lucky that no suspicion was raised. We're not trying to make excuses but... it's the truth. We didn't want to be seen with you, we didn't want the connection to be drawn and lose you... to that _monster_." Annette added with melancholy.

_It makes no sense. None of what they're saying makes sense. _"Hiding me from Simmons is one thing but that doesn't explain ignoring me or being critical or firing my Nanny when I was six years old. How do you explain that?" she challenged bitterly.

"We fired the Nanny because she found out what you could do one day when you fell off your bike. You scrubbed your knee and she happened to hurt herself trying to help you and then she recovered because of your abilities. She tried to slip you from the house to take you and show you around as a miracle baby." Annette said. "We couldn't let her do that. Simmons would have seen if you were put on the news or something and that would have been dangerous. We had to fire her."

"But you accused her of cheating with my father!" Sherry retorted, though she was shouting, her voice was hoarse and weak.

This question seemed to catch them off guard. "What? Oh erm... that... well that was totally unrelated to that." Annette giggled nervously.

William fidgeted very uncomfortably. "There was a girl at our job and she was very flirtatious... anyway can we move on?"

"Why did I hear you talking about my Nanny then? I specifically remember –" Sherry was cut off by Jake.

"Your memories were erased." he stated calmly.

"... He's right. I'm sorry Sherry, we erased your memory of what happened that day and you must have overheard your mother and I discussing the lady from work... thus associated it with the Nanny." William discerned.

"As for putting so much pressure on you, we're truly sorry for that. We were being selfish parents and that really had nothing to do with Simmons. We were so consumed with our research and work that we wanted a daughter to do the same... You have every right to feel anger at us for that." her mother admitted.

"Sherry, it sounds like your parents pulled the same thing my father has all these years. Playing the bad guy and taking unnecessary heat from us when they could have just told the truth in the first place. Instead they wanted to play the bad guy." Jake noted with mild irritation.

"Suffering the blunt of your fury seems easier in comparison to coming out and informing you that you were in danger of becoming a breeder for Simmons pursuit in becoming a self-made super being... That's a terrible life to be born into." said Annette.

"They both sound awful." Sherry said. "Instead of being honest with me, you gave me the cold shoulder and made me live most of my life alone. We could have been together as a family. I would have had no problem sticking with you both and remaining hidden from others as long as you told me you loved me or held me... or even greeted me in the mornings and before bed..."

"Your hatred for us is understandable and we don't expect to be forgiven but we're sorry for the pain we've caused you." William closed his eyes and sighed. "We will be out of your hair very soon..."

"I don't hate you..." she said, shocking them both. "You're human and naturally you make poor decisions just like the rest of us do. While it isn't easy, I do accept your apology and I forgive you"

Simply telling them that made her feel a burden lift from her heart. She looked at Jake and smiled. "Go on..." she seemed appeased now but her voice was still hoarse.

Jake turned to his father, "I need to know why you erased my memories." he stated with frown.

Wesker nodded. "When you would join me for the expeditions, we were really going to meet with the BSAA. We would help them create vaccines against the horrid affects Simmons would reign upon civilians."

"Why erase my memory?"

"We couldn't risk Simmons interrogating you or Marlowe. We were doing this in secret and should he discover our operations he could very well cause complete mayhem within the government. Unfortunately his word goes against ours and will definitely prevail. It's one of the perks of being the descendant to the esteemed Oswell E. Spencer." Wesker finished.

"You act like I'm some pansy who can't take something as pathetic as an interrogation." Jake snorted irritably; he ran a hand through his short hair.

"Simmons has means of getting into a person's head without them having to say a word. He has a tool that retrieves information... I've only seen him use it once but never since. He cannot use this device on Albert because of his status. Albert is almost invincible in his position but he still cannot stand against Simmons without proof of his crimes." said William.

"So what do we do now? We're stuck here with Simmons on the prow..." Sherry stated meekly.

"It's best to lie low and see what happens. Jake, it's in your best interest to remain with Miss Birkin – at least until we can come up with some sort of evidence to stop Simmons before he can try anything else."

"Okay then, I have a quick question for my father and the Birkin's." Jake said, taking a deep breath. He had a nagging feeling since the entire DNA talk began that there was a deeper motive behind the connection Sherry's parents had with his father. "Dad, before we came here, you proposed that Sherry and I claim each other. It's interesting because Birkin here said that the Wesker-Birkin combo had never been done before..."

"Jake, what are you getting at?" Sherry asked, clueless.

He held up a finger to halt her. "It's truth time. Be honest with us – did you guys plan from Sherry's and my birth for us to be together?"

Absolutely silence enveloped the room. Wesker appeared conflicted by the question and the Birkin's were uncomfortably fidgeting under their daughter's skeptical gaze.

Unexpectedly, William spoke first. "Sherry was born two years before you but upon your birth... Albert and I did make an agreement. If the two of you became attracted to one another we would not interfere or try and force things with you but we would have loved to see the result..." he said slowly.

"So you guys were actually hoping we would get together so you could study a kid we bring into the world?" Jake pushed.

"That is correct." Wesker confirmed.

"Oh my god..." Sherry gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "You talk about Simmons using me as a breeding tool... but what about what you've done to Jake and me? We're breeding tools for your research! You're no different than _Simmons_!"

"It was 20 years ago that we did this, Sherry!" Annette countered angrily. "We weren't after immortality like that sicko! We still aren't – we're trying to further medical research – research that will protect everyone you love by helping them in the future. Who is to say that this research won't benefit everyone after all, advanced human or not?"

"Yeah, at the expense of your own children." Jake snarled.

"Were you both deaf to Annette's words? Our agreement occurred 20 years ago, since then, Spencer has passed on and all of our pursuits of super children have not continued. If that were the case, I wouldn't have taken Marlowe away from Simmons." Wesker stated firmly. "Ever since Simmons took over Spencer's work, most if not all of us have abandoned the former ideas for human selective breeding and have resorted to the development of a counteractive to Simmons research. We did not intend to force you two into a relationship, especially not since the idea was abandoned but upon Simmons finding Miss Birkin, we needed a decoy to lure him elsewhere and leave her be."

"And what's that?" Jake asked.

"Simmons was present when we spoke of our agreement to Spencer. Spencer agreed with us that we would not force a union between our children; instead we would give you a chance to learn of one another and hope for the best. If the two of you claimed a relationship, Simmons would assume the projects were still in development – therefore this ploy would disguise our real goal, which is to eliminate his means of experimentation. We don't work for him anymore but he believes we do – we planned to keep it this way until we have enough evidence to present to the BSAA and have him arrested." said Wesker.

"Unfortunately finding efficient evidence is a struggle within itself." William lamented.

"Isn't Mar enough proof?" Jake asked.

"He would have been if Alexia had joined our cause to stop him. Unfortunately she was more interested in the science behind it all to concern herself with it... and it was that ignorance and selfishness that I'm sure had her killed." Wesker said gruffly.

"You think Simmons had her killed just in case she would talk?" Jake inquired.

"I have no doubt that is precisely why she was disposed of."

Jake thought of Spencer city and his conversation with Krauser. "What if I can come up with something? I mean, with Alexia dead we have no one to confirm that Simmons is responsible for what happened to part of Valkoinen Mokki, but what if we give Spencer city a shot?"

Wesker seemed surprised by his knowledge of the former V.M. "Who... told you about that?"

"An old friend stopped by to show me what Simmons did. It was like Spencer city all over again." he replied.

_So that man showed Jake something after all... _Sherry thought quietly.

"I saw what Simmons is capable of and saw what he turned a normal human being into. If after all this time my mentor and I were able to find a live 'creation', how do we know there aren't more locked away in the forests of Spencer city?" Jake pressed the topic more with conviction.

"A live one, you say? Well, that would have been the proof we needed... I suppose you killed it?" Jake cursed but confirmed it. Wesker stood abruptly, a frown on his face behind the dark shades. "If only there were more. You see, there's no plausible way that Spencer would have a survivor. The whole city was hit with a chemical that decimated every life form from animals to insects and without a doubt, humans."

"Why seal off the forests then – unless there's something to hide...?" Jake challenged.

"Whatever is on the other side could be something lethal. The monster's unleashed during the Spencer incident were very powerful, my son. After all, they came to be because of your blood." Wesker said, though he would take his son's words into consideration. "Still, you found a live one in the older part of V.M, there could definitely be more evidence to ascertain. I will get the BSAA on it immediately."

"W-What's all this about monsters?" Sherry started fearfully. "I thought you..." she trailed off when Jake hugged her.

"Don't worry Supergirl, you're safe with me." he said gently.

_Just what did you see when you went off with that man, Jake? _Sherry wondered uncomfortably.

"Jake, I will keep you informed in due time but for now you should endeavor to take care of Miss Birkin." He started for the door with William and Annette trailing behind.

"Where are you going?" Jake asked.

"Thanks to you, the BSAA has a lead to follow." he smirked and piled out the door accompanied by Sherry's parents.

Jake took Sherry's hand and kissed it when she stood beside him. "Come on, let's go get Mar – he's gotta be nervous with so many strangers around."

"Agreed."

* * *

Jake ended up being involved in the matters with the BSAA after all. While he provided them with all the information they needed, Sherry tended to Marlowe's needs and did her best to keep him away from the crowds. Jake spent the entire evening with his father, Chris and Jill. They went over some mapping and estimations on the areas of the older V.M that were likely to contain survivors from the outbreak; Jake even enlightened them on the capsules he and Krauser found, presenting them with the one he brought with him. Jill departed to send it to their headquarters for testing.

They also asked him about what the creature he encountered was like. Wesker elaborated on what the creatures were capable of and instilled both fear and determination in the participants of their plan. Everyone agreed to remain focused and regroup the next day for more briefing and hopefully to organize an investigation.

After Excella arranged for all BSAA members to have a hotel room for the night, Jake was finally free to go. He wandered out the room and felt relieved; at last he didn't have to deal with anymore tight-assed government folks. He may be a changed man but he still wasn't too fond of the government. Simmons definitely wasn't helping either.

He felt pretty lonely being without Sherry and Marlowe for so long. He decided he would find and comfort them; let them know that everything was going to be fine. He knew Mar would be fine but it was Sherry he was really worried about…

It was disturbing to think their parents sort of planned their union but Jake didn't feel that way. He knew he and Sherry connected of their own accord because they felt an attraction to one another. Their parents had no control over their romance, no matter what they originally planned. Jake knew he fell in love with her for his own reasons and he hoped the same from her.

Besides, they genuinely seemed sincere when they said they abandoned the idea but Jake wasn't a fool, the idea of him and Sherry giving birth to a super kid was interesting – even to him! But he was adamant that if they did have a child, that child would not be a tool for the government. It would be their miracle baby and they would care for it and raise it better than their parents did them.

_Look at me, thinking of having kids with her during a time of hysteria… Jeez. _He shook his head. _…But what if she did get pregnant? No, no, no she's on the pill, I remember hearing that during our first time. I mean, she is a healer though – what are the odds the pill wouldn't work for her?_

He dispersed his wandering thoughts and searched for her in the large home to find her in the second floor bar room; it was one of the only places in the home that wasn't overly congested with guests still waiting for a ride to their hotel. She sat on the couch with a periwinkle blue knitted shawl around her shoulders. In her hands was a cup of hot cocoa. Her thoughts were everywhere, he imagined – she wasn't even aware he was leaning against the doorframe before her.

He assumed she was in there to get away from everyone in the house. Tension in the home was off the charts and there was barely any place for one to find solace.

Finally her head rose and she blinked when she realized he was there. Sherry said nothing, just looked at the man she loved with a mixture of sadness and longing to her watery eyes.

He sighed, realizing she was too nervous to speak, "Hey..."

"Hi..." she replied softly.

_At least she still manages to smile..._ "Where's the little guy?" he asked.

"He's asleep," she answered. "It's a miracle I was able to calm him enough to put him to bed. He wasn't content with all the new faces and they made him apprehensive. Poor baby barely ate but at least he ate enough to go to bed with."

"Can I sit with you?" he asked, she nodded in response and he closed the door behind him to join her on the couch. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel like a basket case," Sherry admitted, her hands clasping her cup of hot cocoa tightly. She looked tired and felt that way, all the events unfolding in just one day had her miserable and foreboding. "I just want everything to go back to normal - before all this crazy began and when you and I were just taking care of Mar without everyone watching over us playing bodyguard and bearing bad news."

Jake huffed, agreeing with her before offering a penitent look. "I'm... sorry, Sherry. I had no idea things would take such an ugly turn... we were supposed to just be here enjoying ourselves and getting away from the crazy, but it seems we walked farther into it."

"Jake, it's not your fault baby..." Sherry whispered with a slight sob. "Please don't blame yourself." she turned to him, sitting her cup of cocoa down on the table and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you came back to me. I love you so much..."

Jake sighed and returned the embrace, lying down on the couch with her on top of him. It felt good to know she still loved him and had no issue being close to him. He regretted leaving her alone with Marlowe even more now but he knew he couldn't change that. "I love you with everything I have, Sherry." he kissed her hair and took in the flowery aroma she carried. "Listen, about your parents... I'm sorry they showed up so unexpect –"

"Please don't bring them up right now, Jake." she pleaded wearily. "I'm so tired and confused, I only want to have a moment with you – just us." she sobbed quietly onto his chest and it just tore him up inside.

She had just learned so much about herself that it was tearing her apart inside. It was frightening to think that Simmons was after her because of her abilities; even worse, he planned to utilize her powers by turning her into a breeding machine for his army of super human monsters. He intended to steal her away from this life she loved and lock her away for a sole purpose of giving him what he desired.

It was just like what her parents had put her through; keeping her locked away from society and pressuring her to be better than anyone else because of her special blood. It was hard to believe these people had actually shown up and proclaimed that they had nothing but good intentions for keeping her isolated – all to keep her away from Simmons.

Now that she was free of them, she had to go into hiding once again because of the malicious threat that Simmons presented.

Sherry felt like she just couldn't win.

She felt like she would forever be trapped in confinement.

"Why couldn't I have just been normal?" she cried softly. "Maybe then all of this would have never happened..."

"If that were the case, you and I may have never met, Sherry." Jake said softly, stroking her hair with his hand. "Trust me, I know how you feel. It's perturbing that you're different from others but you already saw this coming, didn't you? I mean your abilities and then the fact that you and I have the connection that we have."

"I know that Jake but that isn't what bothers me. What's bothering me is that Simmons is after me with the intent to use me for something as low as_ procreation_... for little demons to join his army from hell. It's like I'm nothing more than a dog."

Jake felt his blood boiling; he wanted to destroy Simmons with his bare hands. He would never allow Simmons to harm Sherry or even attempt to use her for something so inhumane. "Don't cry baby, please don't cry. I swear to you that I will never let piece of shit Simmons turn you into some fucking baby making machine or anything near it. You're safe with me baby girl." Jake assured her, kissing her lips gently and tightening his hold on her.

"Why didn't they just tell me? Why make me go through all of this?" she asked, even though the question wasn't directed to him. Jake cupped her tear soaked face in his hands and kissed her lips again and again, undeterred by the moisture from her tears.

"I thought you forgave your parents?" Jake asked, gazing with complete ardor into her watery blue eyes. "...Or maybe it's just too much to deal with right now?"

She nodded and buried her face into his chest once more. "I wasn't ready to see them so soon... and it hurts even more to know that the whole reason they're here is to share such devastating news with me. I just don't understand why they enter my life once again only to bring so much tribulation... It's as if I'm not meant for happiness."

"Sherry, remember when you told me to forgive my dad even after all the shit he's put me through?" she nodded into his chest. "I remember thinking how crazy of an idea that was, how impossible it seemed... but after learning all of the shit that's going on, I finally understand why you wanted me to forgive him and why it's a good investment... because at this point in time, we don't need separation – we don't need solitude and we definitely don't need hurt. We need to band together because that's the only thing that's going to help us stop Simmons once and for all."

"All these years, we've all made mistakes. My parents, your parents, me, Babe, and everyone else we know. We've all tried to handle things alone, be our own army, and ignore the red flags each and every time – but as a result, Simmons has taken over more than any of us ever would have expected. So I say the best choice of action now is to band together, to do something right for once instead of just doing right by ourselves. There's a bigger threat to emerge and if we don't come together now, everything we know will fall apart."

Jake kissed her forehead. "Sherry, I know you're hurt because of the past with your parents, but I need you to be strong with me and understand that there's more suffering to come if we don't stop Simmons. I agree with you that there's much more they could have done instead of lock you away but we can't change the past. Let's forgive our folks to pursue the bigger problem. Come on Supergirl, let's all stop that monster."

Sherry listened to his words and could feel herself becoming inspired; her fears were being alleviated by him. Jake had come so far from the intense, unpredictable and reckless man he used to be. He was much more observant and receptive to what he learned and it seemed to have turned him into a whole new man.

She let a few tears escape her. _Jake, you've really grown up haven't you? You're so powerful now – not just physically. I feel your spirit. It speaks to mine in more ways than I could have ever imagined. _"Jake, I will offer everything I can to the cause." she said with a newfound determination. "I will never leave your side."

Jake smirked; he'd heard her thoughts and felt a burst of joy within him. The girl who changed his life around and helped him become a man of absolute steel in spirit and body actually felt inspired by him. They were finally meeting one another on the same level of understanding.

For the first time in his life, he felt complete. He never thought he would get to this point in his life, he never imagined he would become the man he is. It was surreal but he liked every moment of it.

_After Simmons is outta the way, I think I'll propose to her. _He kissed her hair gently and sighed into her sweet smelling hair. _I wanna marry you Sherry. If I proposed, would you accept? _She raised her head to look at him right in time; a heartwarming smile graced her features. _Of course you would. You're my girl. _

The room was silent for a long while as they laid there quietly savoring their moment of peace. The whole house was quiescent finally; it seemed the BSAA members and others had left at last and everyone else must have called it a night.

Rebecca and Billy were still at the house; they weren't leaving until after New Year's so they were currently occupying one of the guest rooms on the first floor. Even with all the commotion going on in the home, they seemed to still be having a comfortable stay.

Jake was quite content lying with Sherry on his chest. He didn't want to leave her side for even a moment. While his thoughts wandered endlessly, Sherry's did as well – though they weren't as innocent as Jake's were.

She felt on edge and wanted something to ease her nerves; she wanted sex. It was weird for her to think it but ever since the experience she'd had with him on their first night together, she wanted more and more of him.

She began to feel around his muscular chest with her hands. Jake became aware of her then and curiously eyed the top of her honey blonde hair. She was quietly beginning to fondle him and Jake wondered was she losing her mind.

Her thoughts were racing, he could hear her begging him to respond and for him to take her right then and there. "Sherry, you want to...?"

She nodded into his chest, sighing softly. "I-I need relief..." she muttered.

Jake grinned, sitting up with her so that she straddled his lap. His hands resided on her hips and he faced her full on. Her hands came around his neck and she kissed his lips gently; her cheeks were pink and pretty. "You want to... in here?" he whispered even though they were undeniably alone.

"Yes..." she breathed, kissing along his neck.

He felt a fire ignite inside him and he growled a bit. "I'll fuck your brains out if you want me to." he told her in a deep hoarse tone.

"I'd like that." she said coyly.

* * *

**Warnings for Mature Content**

* * *

Jake tackled her onto her back on the couch. He kissed her fervidly, wrestling tongues with her. All the other times they got intimate they were gentle but hot and loving. This was a lustful campaign of one another, the affection was still there but so was a desperate hunger for satisfaction.

"One second, baby…" Sherry whispered, sliding from under him to remove her clothes. She had been planning for this and had plenty of time to do it. She told him to close his eyes and he did, she clicked off the lights for safe measure and began to strip.

Jake kept his eyes closed but he could feel her moving around him. Increasing his senses was a wonderful perk to being an advanced human. He could hear her clothes slipping to the floor and some more shuffling... it sounded like a box opening and closing. Eventually, he heard the distinct sound of heels on the wood floor.

"Please tell me I can look now." he begged with a chuckle.

"I'm not ready yet…" she sang. Jake could hear her walk over towards the bar counter, he heard her opening the cabinets and the fridge, and then the sound of a champagne bottle opening.

Jake felt himself get a hard on just waiting to see her. Finally, she approached him. "You… can look now." she whispered coyly.

Jake opened his eyes to see Sherry dressed in some delightfully sexy lingerie – the whole set was a deep pink. She wore high heels, nude garter stockings with pink ribbons around the top wrapping around her thighs, and a thong. Her bra pushed her already perky breasts up so they appeared deliciously full. Along the bottom of the bra was a thin loose material that draped over her stomach except the split in the middle. It was see-through and reminded Jake of rose petals.

He mentally thanked Excella for bringing out his girl's more erotic side. "Wow, you look beautiful…" he whispered breathlessly; he was holding back from attacking her but he was losing control quickly.

She blushed and offered him a glass of champagne. Jake downed it quickly and waited patiently for her to finish her own. "I like you baby girl." he drawled huskily, scooting closer to her. Their lips met. "I like you a lot."

"Jake, let me… try something." she whispered against his lips.

He willingly complied, allowing her to take the lead and she climbed on top of him. Their lips met once again and she groaned softly, her fingers began to rub his nipples through his sweater. He growled into her mouth from the satisfaction her touch gave him. She licked his bottom lip and he did the same for her.

His hand wandered between her thighs, kneading her sensitive sex through the thin material of her thong by sheer habit. He loved her tight snatch, he loved her taste, her smell, and how she buried him in warmth when he pushed inside her. Sherry gently pulled his sweater over his head and began trailing kisses all over him.

She wanted to taste him for once; to swallow and enjoy him like he did for her. Her tongue grazed over his sensitive nipples and she worked her way downward, playing with his belly button with her tongue after licking every cut on his ripped abs. She could feel his thick, long shaft protruding from his jeans pressing at the valley of her breasts while she sucked and nipped at his navel. He appeared to be in distress - which was good because she wanted him to squirm just like she would.

She progressed farther down, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his fly to pull his member out, she gripped it gently. Jake helped her slide his jeans and boxers down to his ankles. She stroked his stem slowly and his hands rested behind his head as he stared down at her with amusement. She looked nervous but he knew she wanted to do this more than anything and he wasn't going to stop her.

Picking up some nerve, she lowered her head down and slid his thick erection into her warm, wet mouth. He had a sharp intake of air and groaned out as she slid his length farther into her mouth.

She gagged.

She left a thick coat of saliva on him as she began coughing and gasping for air. Jake sat up immediately, rubbing her back to soothe her and worriedly asking if she were alright.

"I'm fine... Jake." she said, taking a few breaths. "Please, I-I want to finish..."

"What happened? Why did you choke?" he asked softly, kissing her cheek and then her lips.

"I... tried to... breathe... but you're too long..." she trailed off, finally settling her breathing.

"Maybe you could try breathing through your nose?" he suggested.

She nodded and pushed him backwards to finish her conquest of him. She tried his advice and it helped tremendously. She was able to push him farther into her mouth but she did gag a few more times. Jake would gently rub her back again because after gagging a second time, she stopped pulling away.

She was a bit clumsy at first but eventually she was the perfect mix of sloppy and erotic. She hummed as she got the hang of it. She was pleased that Jake was jerking slightly, bucking his hips so that his stem pushed more into her mouth.

She drooled deliciously over his shaft and he felt like he would lose himself entirely. He growled loudly, thrusting upward into her eager mouth, running his fingers threw her short hair once she let him sit up over the edge of the couch. His feet were on the floor and he rested one arm on the armrest while his other hand guided her head up and down his impressive length. She kneeled in front of him on the floor between his legs, she had one hand caressing his tense ball sack, the other wrapped around his rod to hold it in place while she slurped and sucked him.

He was slowly but surely losing it now. Her influence [he was sure it was that] was making him dizzy with pleasure. If he didn't stop her now, he would be erupting in her mouth. He imagined it; her mouth full of his semen, some of it leaking from her glossy pink lips to trickle down onto her chest. He imagined her swallowing as much as she could before slurping up the rest and stirring the tip of his member against her lips to taste more.

He balled his fists as he fought off release. He wanted to savor the moment forever but his blood was beginning to boil. His breathing became heavy; he wondered was he losing this battle...

Sherry hummed again, running her tongue around the tip of his rod before she looked at him. She was startled to see his eyes had flashed with ophidian semblance; on and off, like a light switch. "J-Jake..." she whispered, ceasing her actions out of fear that she hurt him.

He pounced her.

Her legs were spread wide as she was tossed onto the couch. She was almost sideways, her back pressed against the junction between the armrest and the rest of the couch. Jake slid between her legs, his reptilian eyes shining at her. Sherry wondered what his problem was but ignored that when he ripped her thong away and penetrated her moist sex, filling her up with all that was him.

He started off slowly but gradually picked up speed, hammering into her with such passion and wanton she thought he would snap her in two. She wreathed beneath him, purring and scratching at him, singing his name in her sweet melodic voice, begging for more – begging for him to help her get relief.

Jake was more than willing to supply her with what she desired.

"Wrap your arms around my neck as tight as you can _Naughty girl_." he instructed huskily.

"Like this, _Master_?" she obliged him sweetly. They were using the pet names to tease one another but both were quite serious.

He smacked her buttock none too hard but enough to make her groan in pleasure. "Tighter." he commanded with a growl. She tried again, wrapping her arms around his neck and coming face to face with him. "Good girl." he drawled, kissing her lips sloppily.

Sherry let out a light squeak when he pulled her from the couch in his arms. He had one arm wrapped around her waist and the other looped under one of her knees. He gave her a moment to try wrapping her other leg around his waist and in an instant he started to thrust upward into her. She wrapped her arms and legs tighter around him and threw her head back in pleasure. She squirmed in his arms, whimpering, whining and screaming with satisfaction – she wasn't sure he could go much deeper within her but he was proving that he certainly could and it felt exhilarating.

She released a throaty groan as she came hard, a moment later Jake followed her. She wanted more of him – she wanted to come again and again with him until they both collapsed from exhaustion. Jake smirked in satisfaction – he supposed one wonderful perk of having his advanced human strength was that he had killer stamina and while she would come so easily and get weakened, he could come inside her and still be ready for another round.

He kissed all along her neck and kissed her. "I'm not ready to stop." he said dark but smoothly. "I want more." his dragon-like eyes turned her on once again.

"Whatever Master wants, I want." she whispered bashfully.

"Come on then, Naughty girl - don't disappoint me..." he was stoic but his voice was like a soft mantra, beckoning her to submit to him once again.

A moment later, Sherry found herself tackled to the floor and flipped over onto her stomach. Jake said nothing as he methodically slid his shaft inside her tight snatch, a groan escaped him while Sherry cooed loudly, drooling onto the floor from the stimulating sensation of being entered from behind.

Jake pushed the sheer material of her lingerie top away since it tried constricting his view in the new position. He wanted to gaze at her luscious ass cheeks while he thrusts into her. His hands locked firmly on her small waist to keep her steady. She gasped and moaned sweetly, thoroughly enjoying the new position and both the sound and feel of his strong core pounding against her soft buttocks.

He positioned her so that her ass was held up high with her face against the floor. She didn't care at all; she was too busy mewling and letting out throaty groans as he hit her sweet spot effortlessly. She felt like her legs may give out at any moment but the pleasure was just so invigorating.

"You look beautiful, naughty girl." he whispered, kissing her back along her spinal column. "Like an angel..."

She whimpered when he went deeper inside her. "Thank you..."

He thrusts into her in a steady rhythm, giving her a moment to see that he still loved and worshipped her like the otherworldly beauty she was. She was so coy; bashful yet alluring and all around sensual without even trying.

She different from other girls; she was an advanced human like himself, capable of healing just about anything. Her demure and gentle person was only one aspect to her. She was a spiritual healer with the ability to bring him an everlasting euphoria with a simple touch.

The blonde beauty was drunk from the pleasure he gave her. She recalled their conversation so long ago about him being Cupid to her Psyche. It all made perfect sense – she truly felt they were the embodiment of the two: she healed his soul and sent his mind into euphoria; he pleasured her body and warmed her heart. They were completely in sync with one another.

Jake was definitely a sex god, she was sure of it.

They were both so close to their peak; Jake slid the thin straps of her lingerie away from her shoulders, allowing her breasts to escape their cups. He kneaded and pinched her nipples for a moment and then slid one hand down her body to rub her clit.

Sherry bucked and shuddered with pleasure, her screams got louder until euphoria took over her. Jake came with her, it was like he was hit by a truck and flung into the night sky. He was seeing stars... beautiful stars as he laid his head on her back to catch his breath. She was trembling, her legs weak from his performance - she was only still in position because he was holding her there.

Once they came down from their high, Sherry looked back to him, her cheeks were rosy and her watery eyes glowed in the darkness along with her skin. Jake slipped out of her and she purred weakly as she shifted to sit clumsily on the floor. He pulled up his boxers and jeans before wrapping his arms around her, drawing her to him. They kissed passionately and then smiled lovingly to one another.

"Wow, now that was unexpected." Jake breathed with a grin.

"I um... saw something in a book that made me curious." she blushed with a simper.

Jake was pleased. "Well, I'm glad you were. I love you, Sherry."

"I love you too, Jake..."

* * *

The next day, Sherry met Jake in the family room with Marlowe. The house was once again overrun by strangers from the BSAA and the three were simply doing whatever they could to stay out of their way. Eventually they were joined by Rebecca, Billy and Stephanie after Sherry completed breakfast.

While everyone ate, Jake's cell sounded out and he excused himself to answer. Once everyone was finished, Jake returned and asked for Sherry's audience. He pulled her to the side. "You're not gonna believe this."

"What?" Sherry started, her stomach doing somersaults.

He leaned closer to her, "Deborah's alive!" he whispered with elation.

She couldn't believe it. "Really…?" she whispered back. Jake nodded with a simper smile and they embraced each other in an instant. "Oh my God, how? They said she was dead!" she said into his sweater.

"Yeah, apparently she isn't."

"How do you know?"

"Piers called, he said there's a lot we all need to talk about. I figured we could get on a video chat with them later on in the game room once everyone clears out tonight. I thought about flying back to see them but that evil chick said they aren't letting us out of their sight until Simmons is convicted…"

"That could take forever," Sherry said with a sigh. "So we're stuck indoors with nothing to do until they get him?"

Jake looked as objective as she was but nodded nonetheless. "Sucks don't it? Well, nothing else to be done. We'll let my dad and the BSAA investigate whatever they can but for now, I want to make sure I take care of you and Mar."

Sherry simpered to him and hugged him once again. "Thanks baby." she kissed his cheek.

Their lips met once again, enjoying the moment of tranquility because they knew what was to come would not be easy to handle. Jake wrapped his arm around her waist and led her back to the others. Things seemed fine for now but he knew that hell was on the horizon.

Simmons had to be stopped.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the wait but this is a long ass chapter lol the longest EVER! lol

I had to make sure everything was explained thoroughly so there was no confusion. If it wasn't, I apologize… [Twiddles fingers]

Thanks for all the support so far! The end of this fic is in just two more chapters and it is done! Next chapter all hell really breaks loose. I wanted to give one last chapter of relative calm because the bad and tension is definitely next chapter.

So now I have an important question… should I complete the two chapters and post them at once or just one at a time?

Any questions or concerns or if you notice any typos, feel free to let me know.

Lots of love everyone and I'll see you as soon as I can! XD

-Vio


	21. Superhuman

Chapter 20

Superhuman

* * *

Jake and Sherry shared all the new information they attained with Piers and Helena [as well as Steve and Claire] via video chat. The four were definitely unnerved by the events unfolding around them but each was more than willing to fight for their cause. Deborah had yet to awaken but Helena was adamant that she definitely would. Jake implored her to ask as many questions as she could to her sister before getting into the emotional parts – implying how important it was that Deborah provided more ammunition to seal Simmons fate.

After the two left the game room, they came face to face with Wesker and the news he was about to deliver wasn't pleasant.

"Jake, Simmons has gone missing." he said grimly, his lips thinned afterwards.

"No one can find him? I find that hard to believe, especially since he's so important." Jake retorted irritably.

Sherry agreed with him, "This just has to be a ploy or something. He could be hiding until the storm blows over."

"Unfortunately for him we have no intention of letting the storm end until he is caught and in custody." Wesker said and turned to leave. "My son, I insist that you two remain here where it is safe. I understand your friend is in need but you must ask yourself, is Miss Birkin's safety worth the risk?"

Jake frowned a bit and looked to Sherry; she smiled hoping to offer support. "… Alright dad, whatever you say."

* * *

Helena sat in the room with her sleeping sister. She quietly watched her steady breathing and listened to the repetitive beeping from the machines monitoring her. If Deborah didn't wake anytime soon she feared Simmons would zoom in on them and steal her away again.

She sighed, willing herself to calm down. Piers, Claire and Steve had gone out to get some snacks from the corner store. Helena volunteered to stay behind and keep an eye on Deborah.

The lovely brunette lowered her face to her palms; her elbows resting on her knees. "Come on Helena, get it together. Everything will be fine… I think." she told herself this countless times but she just couldn't maintain confidence in her words. Her sister could remain this way for months and there was no way she could impose on Claire for that long. Eventually she and Piers would have to return to his apartment and then be reduced to daily visits back and forth for extended periods.

Either way, she felt like she was infringing on the maternal red-haired woman and using her hospitality excessively.

"Deborah…" she whispered. "Please wake up, we need you to stop Simmons… and I need your smile…"

Silence.

Helena chuckled bitterly, it was as if she expected her words to breathe life into her sister so suddenly but that was all wishful thinking…

"_Helena_…"

Helena's head snapped away from her hands to the bed-ridden body before her.

Deborah was looking at her, her brown eyes tired and weary, her breath slow and even.

She was alive.

She was _awake_.

Helena sprang from her seat to her sister's side, tears streaming down her cheeks. Deborah blinked rapidly as she tried to ascertain whether she was dreaming or not. Her sister was with her, hugging her and she felt sore, stiff and achy all over. "H-Helena…? Is it really you?" her voice was hoarse and her throat felt dry.

Helena cupped her face, smiling brightly despite the river of tears cascading from her eyes. "Yes! It's me Deborah! I'm here and you're safe now! We're finally together again!" she cried, hugging her sister tightly to her, paying no mind to the machines and IV's connected to the younger Harper.

"I-I can't believe it…" Deborah managed and soon her waterworks began as well.

The sisters grasped onto one another for dear life, thanking the heavens above for the blessing they were bestowed. During this time, Claire returned with Piers and Steve; Helena hollered for them to come quickly to the room and they all were astonished to see Deborah sitting up in her bed, eyeing them all with a mixture of confusion and affliction.

"She's awake!" Helena exclaimed crying and laughing joyfully. She hugged Piers tightly and pointed to her sister. "Look! She's awake, Piers! She's finally awake!"

Piers mouth was agape – he loosely embraced his girlfriend before slowly approaching the bed, clearly in complete disbelief. Deborah squint her eyes at him and a small smile graced her pretty features. "P-Piers? Is that you big brother?"

He nodded slowly and let out a loud laugh before wrapping his arms around her. Helena came up behind him to hug them both and they all laughed [though Deborah and Helena were crying as well]. Piers kissed Deborah's hair lovingly and pulled Helena to his chest for her to cry some more. Though he shed no tears, he was visibly delighted that the two Harper sisters were reunited – both alive and both safe from harm once again.

Claire looked to Steve and he descried she was close to tearing up. Steve circled his arm around her waist and pulled her to him to weep happily on his shoulder. He had to admit, seeing the sisters together again after the hell Deborah had been through, it gave him hope.

Maybe they could actually stop Simmons now. Maybe – just maybe they could end him before he tried anything else.

* * *

The four waited around Deborah as she stuffed her mouth with food Claire brought from the kitchen. It was almost disturbing to see a girl eat like a little piggy but then again, she hadn't eaten in a long while [from what she told them].

They were all anxious to ask questions but Helena; disobeying what Jake asked of her; demanded that her sister be given a moment to truly rejuvenate before they hounded her with questions. Once the girl finished pigging out on her food, she shyly pardoned herself for being 'unladylike' while Claire took her dishes back to the kitchen.

"Debbie," Piers started, sending a cautious look to Helena. She glared at him but Deborah placed a hand on her sister's to assure her she was alright. "What happened to you? I know this is sudden but so much has happened…"

Deborah flinched from the question, her eyes darted everywhere. "I… don't think you would believe me if I told you."

"Why?" asked Helena.

"Because it's so _crazy_…" she whispered, lowering her head.

Claire returned from the kitchen, "Then let's start small." She intervened with a gentle smile. "Hi Deborah, my name's Claire and you're in my house… do you remember how you got here?"

Deborah blinked at her, "Um, no I don't…"

"Do you remember what happened before you woke up here?"

"Erm… not really." she replied.

Claire asked to switch seats with Piers so that she could get closer to her and he complied. She took Deborah's hands in her own and took a deep breath. "Okay Debbie, let's try to relax as best as we can. You're safe here so you don't need to keep anything from us. Whoever did this to you cannot harm you anymore… Just talk to us, okay?"

The woman nodded slowly and Claire smiled, "Good, now… close your eyes…" Deborah did as she was told. "Do you remember how you got here? Tell me about the last faces you saw before you woke up and saw us… anything distinct? Or if it's easier, you can tell us what the last thing you saw was – maybe a building or street name, whatever you feel you can offer."

The younger Harper furrowed her brows a bit, thinking hard on the question. Helena almost intercepted to assert that all the Simmons drama could wait but her sister spoke up, "I remember waking up… and seeing a doctor. I heard talking… and then nothing…"

"Did you recognize the voice?" Claire gently urged.

"It was… _father_." Helena felt her blood begin to boil. "I remember… wait – I remember two other people. A little boy and a girl with blonde hair…"

"She must be talking about Sherry and Marlowe," Steve whispered to Piers. "That means she remembers the incident in the hospital."

"The boy hit father and hurt him so I sat up and told the girl to leave… I remember people rushing into the room and father shouting again… he was angry like he always is. I tried to ask what was wrong but somehow I blacked out again…"

"You're remembering, good girl. Now, what happened after that?"

"I woke up and I… was an ambulance. I remember looking at the machines… I blacked out again and when I opened my eyes… I-I can't remember… I-I think I… I just wandered around for a long time but I wasn't in the ambulance anymore. Everything was so dark and there wasn't anyone around – not a sound to be heard…"

"Sounds like Spencer..." Piers noted aloud, he turned to Steve. "Could Simmons have tried to take her to Spencer to hide her? Or maybe…"

"Maybe Jake was right and there really is something to hide there." Steve finished for him.

"Did you just say… _Spencer?!_" Deborah started loudly, startling everyone in the room. She was trembling suddenly, her eyes wide and her teeth chattering. "P-Please… I don't wanna go there!"

"Okay! Okay, calm down!" Claire pleaded, taking her hands once again. "No one's taking you to Spencer. I promise…"

"What happened in Spencer, Deborah?" Helena asked suddenly, almost like she was demanding an answer.

Deborah was shaken up; she shook her head in rebuttal. Helena knew sister was in distress, but if something happened to her in Spencer, she needed to speak up. "Deborah, what happened to you in Spencer City? Did you see something? You have to tell us."

Everyone was silent, waiting for the woman to respond.

The youngest Harper bit her lip. "There's a lab… under the old mansion in Spencer City."

Her answer was bone-chilling; everyone in the room felt cold and fearful. "A _lab_? You mean an actual laboratory?" Piers echoed hesitantly.

Deborah nodded slowly. Claire spoke up, "Have you been there or is this something you heard?"

"I was there." Deborah confirmed wearily. "Father… took me there…"

"What did he do to you?" Helena growled out.

"Helena please –"

"I don't want to hear it!" she shouted angrily. "I'm sick of you making excuses for that piece of trash and calling him our father! A father doesn't take advantage of his daughters! A father doesn't abuse his daughters! Whatever he did to you, he has to pay for it! Now spit it out already!"

Piers went to calm her down while Deborah reverted to a tearful breakdown. Helena felt instant regret – she didn't mean to bring her to tears. "I'm sorry Debbie. I didn't mean to –"

"No, you're right." she interrupted, facing her lap in discontent with herself. "You've always been right. I've always been making excuses for him when he just continued to beat me and treat me like garbage… I just wanted to have a family like we did before mom and dad died. I thought we could one day attain that with him… but I guess I was wrong. I was wrong and stupid."

"Debbie you're not stupid –"

"Yes I am, Helena! I keep defending him when all he does is hurt us! It's because of him that I'm like this…" she began to weep again and Claire rubbed her back tenderly.

"Deborah, you remember everything, don't you?" Claire asked gently. When the young Harper nodded, the others were flustered with her. "You've been trying to edit out scenes of what Simmons did to you to defend him, weren't you?" Another nod and sobbing, "Okay, well that's alright Debbie. We forgive you… please, tell us what happened – and start from the beginning."

"B-But, it all sounds so c-crazy." she hiccupped.

"Sweetheart, we heard about super humans and special DNA type of shit recently." Steve cut in dryly. "There ain't much we would find crazy anymore."

Deborah was hesitant but she finally took in some air and began to open up. "It all started the day of my Spanish exam. I went to the library to study and a good friend of mine showed up to talk to me. This friend… I met him during one of the times I went to visit fath – I mean _Simmons_. He wouldn't let me into his house to talk so I sat on the porch, waiting for him to come outside. While I sat there, a man came down the street – he was really tall and muscular. I realized that… _Simmons_ wasn't coming out anytime soon so I figured I would just walk home and as I was standing up, the man revealed himself. I recognized him from one of the many… _jobs_ I did for fath – I-I mean, _Simmons_."

"He never asked for service… but he was always nice enough to buy me food or something. I was young when we first met but now that I'm older he's still so pleasant. He told me he would walk me home that day on when we first met and he did. While on the way there, he told me he no longer worked with _Simmons _and that he was there to warn me to stay away from him. He said he was up to no good and would surely have me killed…"

"From that day on, he showed up every now and then to check on me and scold me to stop trying to play family with Simmons but I was hard headed. Simmons kept making me work for him and suddenly he was injecting me with something. I don't know what it was but it made me full woozy and then invincible… though it was temporary. After he gave me the injection, he would beat me _over and over_…" her voice cracked as she choked back tears. "Every time he finished, he would say… another failed experiment."

"Did he ever say what he was injecting you with?" Claire asked.

Deborah shook her head, "I never even bothered to ask. I just did as I was told to please him. After a while, I realized I couldn't stand the beatings anymore. My friend, his name is Jack Krauser – he said he would try and help me to escape from Simmons on one condition… I had to promise to help him and others get him convicted and sent to jail for despicable crimes…"

"That Krauser guy, Jake did tell us that he was a rebel against Simmons." Piers affirmed and Steve nodded.

"You say he was a friend… you mean he wasn't your lover?" Helena asked stiffly.

Deborah blinked, wide eyed and shook her head. "Jack and I pretended to be in a relationship to fend off Peter. For safe measure, he said 'boys' are afraid of women with kids so he gave me permission to tell Peter I was having his kid." she giggled a little, "It worked too because he totally left me alone."

"So… you're not pregnant?" Piers pressed.

"Jack and I never slept together; he's like an uncle to me. Besides, do I look pregnant?" she humored.

Piers and Helena let out a breath of relief. She was never pregnant – it was all a lie to keep Peter from bothering her. "So, that guy was helping you get away from Peter and Simmons?"

Deborah nodded. "Yes, he's a lot like Mr. Hamilton – he was disgusted by Simmons and just wanted to help out."

"Wow, that's so nice." Claire mused with a smile. She was reminded of how she and Leon stepped in to help Sherry because they weren't pleased by her parents. Though upon learning of their reasoning behind it, Claire wasn't sure if she agreed with their actions but she would of course accept it as long as Sherry did.

"Jack eventually told me that Simmons was responsible for our parent's death, Helena…"

"What?"

Deborah nodded sadly, "Our parents found out about what he was doing and planned to tell on him… so he had them killed. They didn't die on a mission, he executed them. I didn't want to believe it but… I know it's true."

"I knew it…" she said dreadfully, "I always knew it…"

"As for Jack's problem with Simmons, well – Jack was definitely against Simmons… I decided I would stop pushing a relationship with the man under Jack's insistence and at first things were fine… until he somehow found out I was friends with Jack. He found out about our friendship the day of my exams… and that's when it all began. I had no idea he had someone following me… Right after Jack left me, I was pulled into the girl's restroom by someone in a mask. It was a man… he threatened me saying he was ordered to have me killed by Simmons. I was screaming so loud for help but no one heard me…" She started to cry and Claire hugged her, soothing her in a motherly manner.

"I managed to get away and I ran to my class. Mr. Sera dismissed the class so he could talk to me and he said he was a cop and if anyone tried to hurt me he would stop them. I stayed with him for a long time until these men in white shown up… they said they worked for Simmons and I had to come with them. Mr. Sera tried to stop them but they showed him a paper with a warrant for my arrest involving prostitution… I had to go with them."

"So wait, Simmons used a crime he set you up to do against you?" Steve asked; it all was strangely like a foreshadowing of sorts. _Simmons used a crime she committed to have her arrested… could it have been to tarnish her name in case she helped out Krauser?_

"Yes but he didn't take me to jail, he took me to… Spencer. I was thrown into a truck with a few more girls I had never met. We were transported into the forests of Spencer and through there we arrived at the old mansion. We didn't go inside the mansion, we were told to go down this old hatch around the back and it led us down into a laboratory."

"So… there's an actual lab beneath the old Spencer mansion in the forest?" Helena asked.

"Yes."

"That means you've gotten past the barrier." Piers added, "What was in the forest? Why seal it off?"

"Because of the leftover hybrids." she said slowly.

This made everyone fearful again. "Hybrids? What are you talking about?"

"Simmons continues to experiment on people after all these years. He tests people with his concoctions and if they don't work, he discards them into the forests where they continue to lurk." her voice quivered as she spoke.

"You're telling me that there are monsters in the forests of Spencer?" Piers asked incredulously.

Deborah hesitantly nodded. "Y-Yes… I've seen them. They're red and fleshy… they look so horrible." she whispered. "Simmons workers call them Bloodshots…"

"Oh my God…" Helena breathed, looking away as if she saw one with her own eyes.

"The experiments done on the other girls and myself were brutal, we were injected with something and then beaten time and time again while he waited for us to 'regenerate'…"

"The girls turning up dead all over the city, that was because of Simmons wasn't it?" Piers demanded. When Deborah nodded, he knew he finally had his suspicions confirmed. He knew all along that Simmons had done this.

"Holy shit… you don't think he somehow got hold to Sherry's blood do you?" Steve wondered aloud with trepidation. "I mean, she did say her regeneration ability is what Simmons is after."

Claire felt a pang in her stomach. "God… I hope not. She never said her blood was donated to Simmons, only Jake's and it's Jake's blood that caused the outbreak in Spencer…"

"Meaning Jake's blood is what makes those monsters Debbie's talking about." Piers realized with dread. "Well, we have confirmation of what's behind the barrier. With Debbie here we have our answers and the proof that we need."

"No…" Deborah said suddenly, shaking her head. "I'm not enough proof."

"What do you mean? You're the only survivor!" Helena asserted.

"Yes but… with my record and low status my experience means nothing. We need to find Jack. He can get us all the evidence we need." Deborah explained.

"I'll do you one better," Steve said rising to his feet. "We'll tell Jake about this and get him here. He can get his dad and the rest of those BSAA folks on this and put a stop to Simmons right now."

Piers followed his cousin out of the room. "Steve, wait – I need to make sure the phones aren't tapped first."

Claire gave Deborah another hug, "You did excellent. Rest here alright? I'm gonna make sure they can handle everything."

"Okay… thank you, Miss Claire." Deborah replied, watching the beautiful red head leave the room.

The only ones who remained were the Harper sisters. Helena had her head lowered and Deborah stared helplessly to her. "Helena…"

"I'm sorry Deborah… I'm sorry I didn't protect you." Helena cried softly.

"Yes you did, sis… I just didn't protect myself. I played like a fool and I suffered because of that but no longer. Now I'm gonna protect you and get Simmons put away for good."

"Deborah –"

"Go on sis, I'll be fine." she smiled softly.

* * *

Sherry and Jake tucked Marlowe in for the night, both planting a kiss on his hair before exiting the room. They walked across the hall into the luxury bathroom where they both settled into a nice hot bath. After soaking quietly for a while, Sherry broke the silence.

"Are you okay, baby? You're awfully quiet…" she said, kissing his cheek chastely.

Jake sighed, "No, I'm not okay. Don't get me wrong, baby girl – I could stay here all day – every day relaxing, looking after Mar and making love to you 'til my body aches like hell –" She giggled cutely and he laughed. "But I know in my heart that I gotta help Babe and Steve. I'd go alone and leave you and Mar here where it's safe but I prefer to know where the both of you are at all times... Damn it's so frustrating."

Sherry nodded solemnly, drawing hearts on his chest with her finger, her lips connected with his cheek. "I'm sorry, Jake… I know how you feel. I hope your dad and the BSAA can put a stop to this soon so things can return to normal."

"They will baby girl… eventually." Jake kissed her tenderly and as he pulled away, his phone vibrated on top of the fresh stack of towels set out for them a few inches away. Jake dried his hand before answering.

"Hey Babe, what's going on?" he greeted upon noticing the caller ID said 'Pig Girl'. Sherry moved closer, wrapping her arms around him and leaning on his chest. He wound his free arm around her waist to hold her there.

"Jake? It's Claire! I had to borrow Helena's phone because mine died… wait, why'd you call her 'babe'? Are you two –"

Jake growled, rolling his eyes. "It's a nickname – ya know, the pig movie from the 90's?"

"_Oooh_…" Claire drawled from the other line, "Heh, that's pretty funny… Okay well anyway, I was calling to let you know that Debbie's awake now –"

"_She is_?!" he interrupted with surprise, startling Sherry. He apologized and put the phone on speaker so she could hear. "When did she wake up?"

"Not too long ago. She told us that she'd been taken to Spencer city before she turned up in the hospital, you know the day she disappeared? Apparently she knows a lot about what's behind those barriers and it isn't pretty."

"You mean, she's the proof I need to push my father to check out the forest in Spencer?"

"Yep!" Claire chirped on the line. "Looks like you were right all along Jake. I hope you can convince your dad to get the BSAA on it immediately. From what Debbie said, the forest was crawling with what she called _hybrid's_ created from experimenting with your old blood."

Jake was elated; he finally had proof! He couldn't contain his excitement – he started to laugh. He always had a hunch that since he was shown the scene in V.M that Spencer simply had to have some evidence left over but it was being overlooked because the incident happened so many years ago.

"Also I think some type of project was being done involving Sherry's blood as well."

This made the couple's blood run cold. "Claire, what do you mean?" Sherry asked nervously.

"Huh? Wait – Sherry's right there? I had no idea… Hi Sherry – mommy misses you –"

"Claire I miss you too, but what are you talking about? My parents never gave Simmons my blood." Sherry asserted.

"That's strange because Deborah mentioned a regeneration project or something where she was being injected with it and would feel woozy and then incredibly better and it was for a short period of time…"

"Jake…" Sherry looked at him with big watery eyes. "Remember how my… _mother_ mentioned my great grandmother's blood going missing? You don't think he…?"

Jake knit his brows in thought, "I wouldn't put it past him. That's the only plausible explanation for it."

"What's going on?" Claire asked from the phone.

"Alright here's the deal Firehead, first thing in the morning I'll tell my dad and the BSAA what you told me and from there we're gonna see what we can do. In the meantime, try and get as much info as you can from Deborah."

"Gotcha," she replied. "You two take care and I love you SherBear!"

"Love you too Claire…" Sherry replied awkwardly. _Jeez she's such a mom… _

Jake hung up the phone and gave his lover a conflicted stare. "Let's call it a night cuz there's a lot to be done in the morning."

"Agreed… are you sleeping in my room with me?" Sherry asked.

Jake nodded and helped her out of the tub to wrap a towel around her. They slipped on bathrobes and exited the bathroom.

* * *

Jake met his father the next morning as early as possible. He was in his study as per usual with Chris and Parker and a few more troops – his face buried in paperwork as he discussed relevant matters with them. Once Jake entered, all eyes met were on him and he calmly approached his father.

"Boy do I have some news that'll knock off your shoes, old man." he said with a wide smirk.

Wesker beckoned him to have a seat which he accepted easily and began to share the information he received from Claire with everyone in the room. When he finished, the room was stirred with conversations varying from shock, fear and intrigue.

His father adjusts his shades before speaking, "So your friend survived the attack after all and is an authentic witness to Simmons crimes. While this is unexpected, it is direly welcomed."

"Yep – now, can we go raid Spencer city already? I'm willing to bet Simmons is hiding there too." Jake said, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. "We never know unless we give it a shot."

"It does sound promising, Wesker." Chris appealed gravely, sending Jake a nod. "With these new developments I can contact HQ and arrange for a full-fledged siege."

"Of course," Wesker drawled and stood from his chair. "I will have to come along with you, I'm afraid."

"Why?" asked Chris.

"If the information my son received is valid, you and your assembly will need the antidote William and Annette have been working on over the last decade. Upon exposure to the air, it will defeat the monsters created by my son's blood. It is important that this is administered before you begin the onslaught as the creatures will surely tear a whole through your army without it."

The mention of Sherry's parents caught Jake's attention. They had stationed themselves in a guest room, set it up with a variety of machines and other high-tech gizmos since their arrival and remained there – only emerging for meal time and even then they were reclusive. The only good thing about their distance was the relief it brought Sherry; though she retained that she was no longer afflicted about them, it was obvious that wasn't the truth.

"So Sherry's parents have to go with you back to London?" he asked.

"No they will be staying here. However, you, Miss Birkin and Marlowe will have to come along for safe measure."

Meanwhile, Sherry and Marlowe were in their room going over some Finnish nouns. She had pulled out a large white dry eraser board and wrote words for the young Wesker to translate. Just as they were finishing up, a knock came to the door. Sherry pardoned herself and quickly darted for the door to respond.

She opened the door and visibly stiffened when she saw her parents standing there. "Sherry, forgive us for showing up without notice but there's something we'd like to speak with you about…" William said meekly. "If you would please come with us."

Sherry hesitated, she glanced back inside the room to Marlowe and he was quietly reading and studying Finnish nouns just like she instructed for him to do. A few moments later she sighed, "Mar honey, I'm gonna step out for a moment. Finish studying that list of nouns and I should be back in a few, alright?"

"Okay!" he beamed and returned to his studies.

Sherry smiled to him and took in some more air before stepping out of the room to follow her parents. They led her into the family room since it was clear at the moment and each took a seat on the couch though Sherry sat some safe distance away from them.

The small blonde woman was less than pleased to be with her parents. She forgave them but that didn't mean she wanted to be around them often. She wasn't sure how to feel about them, what to say to them or what to do; she preferred to just be away from them and living her life like she was before.

"Sherry, we won't keep you for long… there's just something we wanted to give you…" Annette said, reaching into her back pocket.

Sherry watched her mother pull a golden locket shaped like a heart from her pocket and present it to her. She wavered, debating should she accept the gift or reject it. She wasn't used to attaining gifts from them. "What's… this?" she asked, pointing to it.

"Remember when I told everyone that your blood is weak against a Wesker's?" William started, simpering to her. "Well, your mother and I developed an antidote. Should you get exposed to their blood, all you need to do is swallow it and you'll be fine."

Sherry was perplexed. "What does that have to do with the trinket?" she asked.

"It's a locket," replied Annette. "The pill is on the inside. Please, wear this as a camouflage so that no one will question it." Sherry slowly took the locket into her hand and stared mutely at it. "This way, in the event of disastrous circumstances, there's plan B and this will surely throw Simmons for a loop."

Sherry opened the locket and observed the small purple and blue pill within. It was just small enough to fit inside the tiny charm. "That locket belonged to your great grandmother." William said, "I hoped it would please you to have it."

The petite blonde was at a loss for words. _They created an antidote… to protect me from Simmons. And this locket belonged to my great grandmother – the only female Birkin before me. _She raised her head to stare wordlessly at them. _That's so… kind of them. _"You really made this… for me?"

They nodded, warm smiles gracing their features. "You are a beautiful woman, Sherry. You've become such a powerful force and we just want to help you… with this little antidote, we hope we've done a little to provide assistance." said William.

_They really do care… they came here for me. _"We've… been through hell." Sherry began. "I ran away from you because of the hell brewing within me. I was struggling to keep going every day because of you. When I finally got away and came here, I felt true happiness. I feel like I've come a long way from a girl with so much inner turmoil and fear. Believe it or not, I owe it to the men of the Wesker bloodline that I've become who I am now. So, when you first shown up, I felt nothing but bitter anger again, I felt like my past would forever haunt me…"

Her words seemed to cut deep into her parents, they lowered their heads in shame. "But once I learned the truth, I felt at peace… I finally feel at peace. I finally have an answer as to why I was treated the way I was and while it doesn't please me in the least bit and I actually find your reasoning to be inept… It makes me feel a lot better knowing that you're willing to change and do the right thing. You came here to help me… you've given me a remedy to protect me…and while this may shock you… I think this is all I really need."

"All this time I've been helping others yet I still felt emptiness within me. While the Wesker's have made me stronger and turned me into a fighter, I've helped these people become one as a family again. I guess the last thing left for me to do is to restore my own family."

She stood from her seat and approached them with a shy smile, "May I… hug you?"

"We don't deserve your forgiveness Sherry…" William lamented quietly, Annette agreed.

Sherry fastened the locket around her neck. "But I do forgive you… And I'd like to hug you for once." she could feel herself tearing up.

Her parents hesitantly nodded and she wrapped her arms around them both. "Thank you…" She said.

They were warm, with freckled skin just like herself. The petite blonde dropped her head onto her father's shoulder. She realized he smelled like lavender and her mother smelled like chamomile, Sherry had the distinct fragrance of lilacs - those were three flowers that embodied healing... They were her birth parents… and she was their daughter.

For the first time, the Birkin's cried together. They cried as a family.

* * *

"Honey… I've got bad news…" Piers started, sitting beside Helena and Deborah with a sigh.

"Aww, he calls you honey now!" Deborah squealed excitedly. Now that she was better, she was able to leave the room but still struggled with walking.

Helena blushed, "H-Hey! Shut up!" she retorted indignantly before shyly reverting her attention to Piers. "What's up?"

"I've gotta meet Chris and the BSAA at the airport. There's a briefing I need to hear so… I have to leave. I'm sorry, sweetheart."

The lovely brunette scooted closer to him and touched his arm gently. "Hey, I'll be fine… it's you I'm worried about. Why is the BSAA here?"

Piers closed his eyes to collect himself. "It could be because of Jake. I'm certain he told them about Debbie's statement and that must have really given them the start they needed. I'm sorry sweetheart, I have to leave in the next hour to help…"

Helena was visibly bothered, "Can I… come with you?"

"Out of the question," Piers responded quickly. "You're safer here."

Deborah saw her sister saddening from the news. She assumed that over the time she was away, Piers and Helena must have truly bonded and their love for one another was heartwarming. Her sister was never an openly emotional person [though she was hot-tempered and definitely impulsive] so seeing her gaze desperately to Piers was a direct indicator to the younger Harper that Piers had managed to break her cold shell and nourish the sensitive being within.

"I'll give you two a moment…" Deborah said, slowly sliding from the couch to stagger slowly back to her bedroom.

"Do you need help walking?" Piers asked, rising to assist her.

"No, no I'm fine, I'll tread along the walls for balance. I've gotta start walking eventually so let me give this a try." she insisted with a smile.

The couple watched her disappear into the hallway. As soon as she was gone, Helena threw her arms around Piers and snuggled into his chest. "I… don't want you to go…" she said softly.

Piers held her tightly against him, "I know and I'm sorry but I've got to help out to make sure you're safe."

"If you really have to go, I understand… but I –" Piers kissed her tenderly and they enveloped one another in a desperate attempt to stick together.

"Take care of Debbie," Piers told her once they parted. "Hopefully I won't be gone too long…"

"But Piers, I thought you weren't in the BSAA anymore?" she asked, following him to the front door.

He slipped on his coat, feeling through his pockets to find his car keys. "The only time former members are contacted is if there's something really big in the horizon." he explained. "And since Jake told the BSAA about Simmons, I'm certain that's why." he glanced over his shoulder to her, his hand lingered over the doorknob… "Wait for me, Helena." he said softly.

That pulled at her heart strings; she wiped at her tears and embraced him once more, burying her face in his back. "Promise me you'll come back."

"I swear I will. I always come back to you, don't I?" he humored to ease his rising stress.

Helena sniffed, nodding into his back. He turned and kissed her forehead gently before stepping outside into the winter air. "Piers!" she shouted when he reached his car. He gazed to her and she took his breath away; her eyes were puffy from crying but he still thought she looked absolutely beautiful. "I… I love you."

He smiled warmly, "I love you too, sweetheart. I'll be back, I swear it."

Helena stood at the doorway long after he left and remained there until Claire emerged from the basement, felt the cold air in the house and raced over to force her inside. She wrapped her in a blanket to get warm and hugged her, rocking back and forth to soothe the distraught woman.

"Shh now, it's alright… he'll be back." Claire solaced, resting her head on top of Helena's and humming. Piers told her beforehand that he would be leaving but he dreaded telling Helena for obvious reasons. Her brother called him two hours ago and the poor guy spent those two hours debating how to tell his lover about it. Claire sympathized with the two and now that Piers was gone, Claire decided she would do anything to help Helena find some calm.

Just then, a knock sounded at the front door alerting the redhead to answer it. She excused herself from Helena's side to answer. Her cerulean blue eyes peeked through the peephole and she saw two familiar silhouettes; Leon and Ada. She unlocked the door and allowed them inside.

"Sorry for coming so late," Leon apologized sheepishly. "We should have shown ourselves the day she woke up but we were following a lead."

Claire rolled her eyes at Leon, "No '_hello_' or '_hi Claire_'? Jeez, you're so rude."

Leon let out a dramatic sigh, "Excuse me, hello Claire, how does it go?" he said with words laced with sarcasm.

She wasn't amused and scoffed at him, turning her attention to Ada. "Hi Ada." she greeted quietly.

"Good afternoon, Claire." was the Asian beauty's response.

Leon glanced over to the couch and saw a forlorn and quiet Helena. He furrowed his brows a bit in question, "Helena? Are you alright?" he started to approach her after handing his coat, scarf and gloves to Claire to hang in the closet. He sat beside her and she remained motionless. "I would have thought you'd be overjoyed to see your sister alive and well…"

Claire closed the closet and came to join the rest just as Ada did. "She's more than happy to see her sister okay but Piers had to regroup with the BSAA and she's worried ya know?"

"Ah," Leon deduced with a short nod. "Well, I'm sure he'll be back soon… He's been with you all this time right?" Helena nodded despondently and he smiled, "Don't worry kiddo, he'll be back for you.

"Yep because men are only good for two things and that's supporting us and worshipping the ground we walk on." Claire said with a big grin, intent on teasing the hell out of the blonde agent. Ada casually high-fived the woman while smirking at her partner, clearly amused.

Leon rolled his eyes and let out a huff of mild irritation, "I'll give you that one but have you forgotten that if it weren't for men you couldn't have kids?" he deadpanned with a straight face.

Claire was taken aback, his words rang logical. "He's got a point there." Ada chimed in, "But we're steadily digressing when there are important matters to be tended to. Since we are on the topic of children, I must ask you Miss Harper… did your sister turn out to be pregnant?"

Helena sighed. _I've gotta be strong for myself and Deborah. Besides, he'll be back for me, he's always here when I need him. _"She's not pregnant thank God. She said she and that Krauser guy tricked Peter so that he would stop making advances on her."

"So he wasn't her boyfriend either?" Helena shook her head to Leon. "Hmm, well alright. We do have some bad news though…"

"Oh boy…" Claire breathed wearily, sitting on the armrest of the couch.

"Are you all aware that Simmons has gone missing?" Ada said cautiously observing them for distress.

"Yeah, Jake told us." Claire said. "Doesn't matter because with Deborah's account of what he put her through, his fate is sealed. Plus, Jake and his father are mobilizing with the BSAA to investigate her words – at least that's what Sherry texted me and said."

"What's going on?" Steve asked, emerging from the hallway with his arm around Deborah to steady her.

"Agent Wong, agent Kennedy…" Deborah awed with wide eyes.

"You look a lot better from when we first brought you here," Leon said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm getting better." she replied with a simper. "I can't thank you enough for saving me from Spencer… "

"Oh… so that's how you got here." Steve mused.

"Steve, bring her over here so she can sit with her sister." Claire requested and he conceded, allowing the young Harper to hug Helena.

"You're not truly safe yet but we're here to protect you." Ada announced. "With Simmons MIA, we need to make sure you're safe at all times. He could appear at any given time with the few workers that remain loyal to him and wreak havoc."

"But Steve has bodyguards all over the neighborhood." Claire said. "And if you're so concerned for her safety, why not put her in the witness protection program?"

"Simmons is directly involved with the government – it's too risky." Leon responded gravely. "We could have her put in the program and within the next day he could have her terminated…"

Deborah gasped and Helena rubbed her back to calm her. Ada sighed, "Even with your men out on the field, I'm not too sure they will be able to do much when it comes to Simmons." she said to Steve.

Steve frowned, "Fine, I'll have Carlos and David meet us here." he said, dialing numbers on his cell.

"What about Sheva? She's pregnant and without Carlos there to take care of her she'll have to come too…" Helena said with uncertainty. "I don't think she should be stressed out…"

"No choice. It's gotta be done." Steve said with a shrug.

Helena found his demeanor to be indifferent but said nothing; evidently he was just as wired as the rest of them and trying to maintain himself before caving under the pressure. However, she completely disagreed with him involving a pregnant woman into these terrible circumstances.

_But I guess we do need all the help we can get…_

* * *

Sherry sat in-between Marlowe and Jake on the plane; they were surrounded by BSAA agents and troops all prepared to wage war on Simmons the moment they land in London. Marlowe was strapped in his seat, quietly sleeping away this dreaded trip. Poor thing wanted to remain in Finland with Stephanie but he had to come to remain in protective care.

Jake was silently staring out the window, his thoughts wandering and he felt anxious. He couldn't wait to bust Simmons and see him rot in prison for his crimes. He didn't want him to get the death penalty, he wanted to see the man suffer like he made his victims suffer. Sherry had her head resting on Jake's shoulder while she fiddled with the golden heart locket inside her shirt. She tucked it there so it wouldn't be too obvious.

To say she was nervous would be an understatement but she was willing to be strong for everyone. They were going to neutralize Spencer city and she would have to join them in order to remain safe.

That said, she couldn't help the feeling of dread in her stomach… something was wrong.

"We should be there pretty soon." Jake said suddenly, "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah," she replied, hurriedly removing her hand from the locket. "I'm fine."

Jake glanced at her, she looked tired and he assumed she was. "Sleep baby girl, I'll wake you when we arrive." he whispered, kissing her hair.

Sherry sighed, deciding she was probably better off resting so she could be ready when they landed. "Okay, thanks baby." she mumbled, drifting off to sleep soon after.

* * *

Piers arrived at the BSAA's London airport base just as everyone else landed. He resided inside the camp; a tall white tent of sorts that had numerous equipment inside among other supplies. He greeted former teammates and friends alike while waiting for one in particular. Seeing the tall, burly figure he respected as a friend and leader, he approached him, now clad in full BSAA attire just like the others.

He saluted his old Captain, Chris with a slight smile when he entered the tent. "Captain," he greeted with a nod. "Good to see you're in good health."

Chris returned the gesture but followed up with a bro-fist. "Same for you kid."

At his side was Jill, Piers knew her from his many visits to Chris' home in the past; Jill was always there cooking for him or being a workout buddy. He wondered briefly did they ever take a serious route with their relationship but now wasn't the time for frivolous matters such as that.

"Jill, it's good to see you again." he said with a smile.

"You too." she grinned and ruffled his hair some. "You're so handsome now – I'm sure that girl you were always going on about is pleased with your boyish charm isn't she?"

Piers felt an ache in his chest at the mention of Helena. He wondered was she safe and it bothered him. She was tough as nails and had skills but he still wanted to keep her safe. Jill observed his downcast demeanor and quickly apologized. "No, it's fine." Piers said, shaking his head. "We're together now but… duty calls."

"Can't tell you how many times those words pissed off Jill…" Chris said with a sigh, Jill smiled at him. "I'm glad she finally got used to it and I'm glad you're getting your life on track buddy."

Piers nodded appreciatively and looked around at the many other soldiers piling into the camp. His hazel eyes widened when he saw a woman with short blonde hair and a much taller male with a buzz-cut. The woman was carrying a child in her arms as she glanced about meekly, following the man wherever he would go.

He was floored, "Sherry? Jake?"

Sherry's watery eyes met his and she approached him with a big grin. "Piers! Oh my God are you here to help out the cause?" she asked, hugging him with one arm, the other cradling Marlowe.

"Yeah, I am." he replied with a smile. He observed Marlowe saluting him and he returned the gesture kindly. "Why are you two here?"

"We had to come because of my dad." Jake interrupted with mild irritation. He knew Sherry was his girl and that Piers was obviously crazy for Helena but he didn't like other guys touching her.

"_You_ I can understand being here because whatever we're about to do, we need the strength but Sherry and Marlowe… is someone going to be appointed with the task of protecting them while we handle our mission?"

"Most likely I am but I dunno yet." Jake shrugged nonchalantly. "They should be about to –"

Just then, Wesker emerged signaling for everyone to gather around for the briefing. Piers excused himself and went to join the rest of the troops and Jake started towards his father, pulling Sherry and the uneasy Marlowe along with him.

* * *

Claire was in the kitchen preparing dinner while Helena and everyone remained in the living room. Her house had never felt more crowded. There was Helena, Deborah, Steve, Leon, Ada, David, Carlos and now Sheva… eight people – nine when she counted herself! She understood that this protection stuff was serious business but why stake out at her house?

_If I weren't a generous person, this would have been a serious problem… _Claire thought, letting out a breath of mild frustration.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door. Claire volunteered to answer and when she peeked through the peephole this time, she noticed some unfamiliar people. She hesitated, stepping back from the door as they knocked again. Leon realized something was wrong and swiftly moved to her side.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"I've never seen these men before…" she said, pointing to the door as they knocked a third time.

Leon glanced out of the peephole and frowned. "This doesn't look good. Everyone, you might want to get ready."

"Remember the plan." Ada whispered to everyone.

Suddenly the door was kicked open and Leon managed to tackle Claire to the ground just in time. Helena scooped her sister into her arms and rushed her to the room beneath the stairs right before the home was raided by an army of men in white tuxedos. She shut the door and instructed her sister to lock it from the inside.

Steve rose to his feet in an instant, already armed with duo submachine guns, he pointed them at the invaders. Carlos and David were at his side, also armed while Sheva ducked down behind the couch for cover and to stay hidden. Ada calmly aimed her machine pistol at the intruders just as Leon sprang away from them, shoving Claire behind his back.

"Who the hell are you?!" Claire hollered angrily. There were men breaking into every window and door of her residence and while it was a temporary abode, she still wasn't happy with them barging in like vagabonds.

"They work for Simmons!" Steve announced, his focus on the group straight ahead.

"You'd better start talking or there's gonna be hell to pay." Leon said, removing the safety from his Blacktail handgun.

One of the men in particular came forward. "Agent Kennedy, agent Wong, you'd be wise to stand down. You are not the target of this raid. Steve Burnside, David King, Carlos Oliveria, Sheva Alomar, Helena and Deborah Harper – you are all under arrest."

"Under arrest for what?!" Helena asked furiously. They were not arresting her sister – they'd have to take her out first.

"Prostitution, street fighting and racing, vandalism, shall I go on…?" the man said with a smirk.

"Digging up their dirt just so they don't pose a threat huh?" Ada chimed in with sarcastic amazement. "That's so like Simmons to be so pathetic and desperate."

"Fuck that!" Steve retorted. "We're not going anywhere with you shitheads!"

Guns were aimed everywhere, Helena felt herself beginning to sweat. There was no way this wouldn't turn violent. Simmons crew had semi-automatic guns galore, she feared her sister could be harmed.

"Hold on…" she started slowly, holding up her hands in submission. "We'll come with you." Everyone glanced at her cautiously. "Put your guns down!" she shouted to everyone, slowly they complied. "Where are you going to take us?"

"That's confidential." the officer replied.

Helena swallowed hard, glancing at Ada. The woman nodded to her and Helena prepared to do what she needed. "We're willing to go with you." _I hope you know what you're doing Ada… _she thought.

"Very good." he signaled for his men to approach and cuff them. A few broke through the door to Deborah's room and pulled her out. Helena begged them not to hurt her as everyone except Leon, Ada, Claire and the still hidden Sheva were cuffed.

"Steve!" Claire shouted after him, worriedly.

He glanced at her and smirked but was hauled out of the home in handcuffs. Claire thought it was all suspicious. Once the officers left, Ada snapped her finger and Sheva emerged from behind the couch, her pretty features serious.

"Ada, are you sure this will work?" Leon demanded an answer.

"Of course it will, we're going to follow them." she replied calmly. A bewildered Leon followed her out of Claire's violated abode, Claire and Sheva slipping on their coats and trailing behind.

"You wanna tell me what the hell we're supposed to do?" Claire asked with a deep frown.

"Leon, you drive." the Asian beauty said, tossing him the car keys. "Miss Sheva, you got the keys to your boyfriend's car don't you?"

"Yes, I do." she said, holding them up.

"Good girl."

"**_Hello_**?!" Claire fussed with a red face.

"Claire," Ada began calmly. "Let's not stall or we could lose them. You're going to drive that car and we're going to follow them. Here…" she placed a device into the redhead's hand. "This device responds to the tracking device I placed on Helena earlier. I have the one that tracks her sister. You two should make sure you follow the car with Helena as I'm well aware of what they're planning."

"How?" Claire and Leon asked.

"I tapped Simmons phone." she said with a smirk. "How else?"

"Wow, Ada… you're really something." Leon said with a smirk.

"So what are they planning?" Sheva asked, rubbing her swelling belly as a means to calm herself.

"I overheard Simmons trying to throw us off but he's not the only one able to dig up dirt on people. He's aware of how many people can get him convicted, in particular, he's concerned about Deborah. He's not taking her to jail or anything, he's taking her to Spencer. If she's there and Simmons is too, that's grounds for an immediate arrest."

Leon nodded, understandingly. "And you and I are gonna follow the car she's in from a safe distance to avoid detection but we will rescue her."

Ada nodded, "Now as for you ladies, your job may prove a challenge. You need to tail that car that has Helena and the boys. Find any means possible to stop them from reaching their destination."

"Where are they planning to take them?" Claire asked, taking the keys from Sheva.

Ada hopped into the passenger seat while Leon started up his car. She leaned out the window just as they were pulling off, "A warehouse – they're going to execute them."

Claire clenched the keys in her hand and quickly helped Sheva into the passenger seat. "We'd better move." she said, sliding into the car and once the engine came alive, she burnt rubber in the opposite direction of Leon and Ada. "Which way does the device say to go?" she asked Sheva.

Sheva observed the moving green dot on the screen, they weren't too far and judging from the info Ada gave, the destination point was pretty far away. They had time to stop them. "Make a left up ahead and keep straight! And step on it! I can't lose my baby's father even if he is an idiot!"

"I can't lose _anyone_!" Claire explained, stepping hard on the gas and the car sped up to 90mph once they hit the freeway.

Sheva reached into her purse and pulled out a M92F handgun. "I'll shoot the tires – that should do the trick!"

"What?! But you're pregnant!" Claire replied, dumbfoundedly.

"True, but firing a gun's no challenge for me!"

Claire smirked, "Heh, well okay big momma!"

"Just get close enough to them that I can aim for the tires! And don't worry, I won't overdo it!" she said with a smile.

Claire could see the chrome 2013 Chevy Impala up ahead, she grinned with excitement. "I'm on it!"

* * *

The briefing was over and everyone was getting ready to move out. Jake and Piers were listening to Wesker go over the plan pertaining to Marlowe and Sherry's safety. Sherry was behind them, sitting at a chair and tickling Marlowe to alleviate his anxiety.

"Flash!" someone shouted suddenly.

Sherry rose to her feet with Marlowe in her arms and was unable to shield herself from the intense flash of light that blinded her temporarily but she did succeed in protecting the child from it. She doubled over, blindly rubbing at her eyes – waiting for her body to heal itself. "Mar! Get Jake!" she cried out, not even sure if he was still there.

"I will!" he confirmed and raced off into the flurry of soldiers cursing and trying to recover. Jake wasn't too far away and he reached his big brother just in time because once the effects wore off of everyone, the whole camp went up in an uproar.

As soon as Jake recuperated, he blinked rapidly at Marlowe, registering if he were actually there. "Mar? Where's Sherry?!" he asked desperately.

Marlowe tugged him a few feet away to where she was…

She was gone.

"Sherry?!" Jake cried out for her, a panic overtaking him.

"We're not alone." Wesker's voice sounded out powerfully among the hysteria in the camp.

He ripped away the white tent over them.

The outside was littered with Simmons agents, their white tuxes and black shades stuck out in the coming of evening. Piers was beside Jill when the flash went off, he helped her to her feet and aimed his rifle at anyone to dared to advance. Jill had her own Px4 handgun ready just as he was.

Jake crouched down, pulling his brother to his chest to shield him in case of any shots firing. "Sherry!" he shouted for her again, sniffing the air for her scent. _She's close! _

He heard the muffled sound of screaming, his ears perked in every direction as he listened. He yelled for her once again and this time he heard his name. "_Jake_!"

He turned just in time to see Sherry being thrown inside a white car with one of Simmons agents.

Jake's advanced abilities kicked in immediately. "Sherry!" He called after her just as the car began to speed off. _You're not taking my girl… _His eyes turned ophidian.

"Let's go get Nanny Bear, Jake." Marlowe said, Jake saw that familiar solemn look to his younger brother.

_Mr. Hyde… _ "Marlowe… hang onto me and don't you dare let go." he instructed, the bellowing of a reptile behind his words. "We're following that car."

Marlowe silently climbed onto his back, wrapping his arms around his neck tight enough to not choke him. "Let's go."

In a flash, Jake disappeared, startling Simmons' agents. They didn't have a chance to defend themselves as they were assaulted in a flurry of bullets by the BSAA in their moment of weakness. One of the men escaped the barrage and tried to climb into his truck but Wesker appeared behind him and threw him to the ground in an instant.

"I'm afraid not, _dog_." he growled.

Piers had crouched in front of Jill to protect her from bullets [just in case]. The two took out many of the agents and once the dust cleared, he helped her stand. "What the hell were Simmons agents doing here?!" Chris shouted, storming over to the trembling man Wesker held by the nape.

"W-We w-w-were –"

"Spit it out, damn you!" Chris roared, grabbing the man by his collar.

"Wesker!" Jill shouted worriedly, "Jake is missing! And so are Sherry and Marlowe!"

Piers looked around frantically, "Could it have been Jake that startled the agents?" he asked her.

Jill shrugged and Wesker approached her calmly. Chris dragged the frightened agent over by his collar and threw him into the center of the crowd of BSAA agents forming around. "What did your men do?" Chris demanded, aiming his rifle at the man.

"W-We had t-to take the B-Birkin girl t-to S-S-Spencer c-city…" he shriveled up on his side in fetal position.

"What luck, we're on our way there." Wesker said with a smirk.

Chris snorted at the fallen agent and kicked dirt at him. "Let's move out everyone! **Now**!"

Piers bolted towards the HMMWV he would be sharing with Jill, they both piled in and started in the direction of Spencer city along with the other vehicles. Jill was driving and maintained a steady speed as they followed the others. The uproar of police and ambulance sirens echoed across the city suddenly, catching Piers' attention.

When they arrived to the motorway they reached a congested overpass and Piers gazed out of the window when he saw a familiar car speeding ahead of them. He used his binoculars to observe the license plate.

"Carlos?" he wondered aloud.

"Who?" Jill asked, her eyes focused on the road ahead.

"Nothing…" he mumbled, observing a little closer. He made out a redhead with a long ponytail and an olive-skinned woman, she looked pregnant… "No way…!" he started aloud.

"What is it?!" Jill pressed again, eyes darting from the road to him.

"Jill – Claire is in that car up ahead!"

"Are you sure it's her?" she asked. "Because that's a little crazy even for her fiery personality." she chuckled a bit.

"Positive! She's a speedy little devil when she wants to be!" he adjusted his binoculars to see who she was chasing. He could see many people in the back seat of the car she was tailing. Adjusting his binoculars again, he realized he was looking at Steve, Carlos, David and… "_Helena_?!"

"Piers what the hell is going on?!" Jill asked with growing irritation.

Piers ignored her for the moment to contact Chris over the radio. "Captain! We've got a problem!"

"What is it?" Chris responded on the other line.

"Simmons agents have four people in the back their car and your sister is tailing them, she's going like 90mph." Piers explained, watching them cautiously.

"**What**?!" Chris shouted in shock. "So you can clearly see it's her?!"

"Definitely! Plus she's speeding like a bat outta hell – that's definitely your sister!" Piers confirmed.

"You and Jill go help her!" Chris demanded, "Once you've settled that matter, we'll rendezvous with you in Spencer!"

"Copy that, out." Piers dropped the intercom and turned to Jill. "Helena's the girl I'm always talking about."

"Okay Piers but what does that have to do with Claire –"

"She's in the backseat of the car Claire is chasing." Piers responded. "Pull over and I'll drive."

Jill nodded. "You are the best driver in the group, aren't you?"

Piers would have smirked at her flattery but he was too fixed on one thing and one thing only. _Don't worry Helena, I'll save you._

* * *

"Shit! We're being tailed!" the driving agent alerted to his partner.

"Drive faster, moron!" the other spat, glancing frightfully back and forth.

When the agent kicked his engine up to 100 mph, Claire kept her speed up as she neared the car, Sheva leaned out the window to fire and hit the back tire with ease. Helena and the men in the backseat let out sounds of agony as the car began to spiral out of control. "What was that?!" David asked with uncharacteristic surprise.

"That had to be my lady." Carlos said proudly.

Luckily they were near the exit of the motorway and the agent driving the car took the exit straight into a town. The car was rapidly losing control and it scraped against a brick wall, knocking off the passenger side mirror before coming to a screeching halt. Pulling a gun from his tux, the driver hopped out of the car and began shooting at Claire and Sheva.

"Get down!" Claire shouted, ducking behind the dashboard to shield them from glass.

While this was going on, David kicked out the back door on the driver's side, freeing the others from the car. They stumbled out, hands restrained behind their backs but they were unharmed. The agent on the passenger side had to crawl over the driver's seat after them. He quickly slid out, attempting to stop them but Steve kicked him in the chest and knocked him to the ground.

"Oh no, my car!" Carlos whined, observing the bullet holes along the front of his car. "She's ruined!"

"Hello! What about _us_?!" Claire fussed.

"Thanks for coming!" was his sarcastic reply.

The agent with the gun aimed for the Helena and the rest but just as he did so, Helena saw a large military vehicle headed straight for them at high speed. "Look out!" she shouted but her warning was too slow – the HMMWV ran over the armed agent and quickly came to a stop. The other agent saw the rising threat and made a bolt away from the bunch.

"Hmph, coward." Helena snarled.

The drivers of the HMMWV jumped out. Claire was surprised to see Jill approach them with a grin. Beside her was none other than Piers. "Jill! Piers! Boy are you two a sight for sore eyes!" she beamed.

"_Piers_...?" Helena raced over and threw herself at her lover, managing to tackle him to the ground without her hands. She kissed him and pulled away to smile. "You came for me…" she whispered in disbelief.

"I always will." he said softly.

"Alright lovebirds," Jill started with a smile, taking a sharp tool from her pockets. "Let me get those cuffs off of everyone so we can go."

* * *

Ada and Leon tailed the car containing Deborah to the outskirts of Spencer city's forests. The barrier was thick but they clearly saw the entry point the agent's used.

The dark tunnel within the old rail yard.

Leon stopped the car and they got out, coming around the front entrance. "I don't suppose you're afraid to go in?" he dryly trifled.

"Not at all – what the?"

A flash appeared in front of them and the two found themselves staring into the ophidian eyes of Jake Wesker. On his back was his little brother Marlowe.

"Well, well – it's Wesker junior…" Ada said with a smirk, she eyed Marlowe for a moment, "And little Wesker junior."

"Jake, what are you doing here?" Leon asked, taking his hand away from his gun. He was startled by the man's reptilian eyes and almost shot him.

Jake frowned, "Simmons took Sherry here." he replied darkly.

"He what?!"

They were interrupted by the sudden sound of automobiles and directed their attention to the army of BSAA vehicles approaching. They stopped in front of the four. Wesker and Chris stepped out of their trucks quickly, coming to meet them and eventually the other troops followed suit. Shortly after that, Piers and Jill arrived in their HMMWV along with Helena, Claire, Steve, Sheva, Carlos, and David.

"Did you… call for back up or something?" Leon asked Ada.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." she replied.

"Well at any rate, it looks like the plan worked out perfectly." he observed Piers helping Helena out of the military vehicle, Steve and his bodyguards exiting shortly afterwards with Claire. "All that's left is to rescue Helena's sister."

Wesker approached the two agents, a frown was behind those sunglasses of his. "Leon Scott-Kennedy, Ada Wong…" he began with a nod of acknowledgment. "To whom do we owe appreciation for your presence?"

"We're here on business matters of our own." Leon responded. "I don't suppose you're here to help our cause?"

"We have come to eliminate a rodent, you may know him by the same of Derek C. Simmons."

Ada chuckled a bit. "He's got bad blood with everyone it seems. It should please you to know we're after the same thing."

"In that case, we should work together." Chris said, emerging from behind Wesker – armed with an assault rifle. "Word has it that on the other side of this concrete barrier is a colony of monsters…"

"Our sources say that too." Leon stated.

"Well, we're gonna break this wall down and prepare to unleash a counteractive that will hinder whatever's there. After we scourge the premises of any infected, we're moving in – our target is the old mansion."

"Sounds like a plan." Ada cut in. "However, we are here to rescue someone and I don't think the mansion itself is where they're being kept…" she glanced at her GPS tracking device, it seemed they were taking Deborah underground as the signal was growing weaker by the minute. "I think our best bet is to try going underneath the mansion."

"She's right," Steve said approaching the group with Claire beside him. "There's a laboratory accessible through the backyard. There should be a hatch you guys can enter."

"Claire, I'm glad you're safe but this isn't a place for you to be –"

Claire held up her hand. "I'm just here for support, Chris. I'm not gonna get in the way I promise. By the way, this is Steve Burnside – his father works for the Canadian government and he's here to help out."

Steve nodded, "Simmons is after a lot of people and I'm here to make sure he's stopped. Hell, the bastard tried to have me killed." he rolled his eyes. "That's taking things too far."

"He will see to it he exterminates any threat to his ambition. You are not the first or only one he's made an attempt to silence." Wesker said. "Most of the time he succeeds in his endeavors. It's grand to witness his plans fall through."

"Let's get going already!" Jake roared suddenly, alarming everyone. "He has Sherry and if he hurts her I'll –"

"My son, you must calm down." Wesker interrupted, coming to place a hand on his shoulder. Jake glared darkly to him but he was unfazed. "We will be moving in shortly."

"He's got Sherry too?" Claire cried out worriedly.

"No worries! We're moving in now!" Chris shouted. "Everyone, get in formation!"

The BSAA all lined up behind him and Wesker, guns ready. Steve pulled Claire out of the way, Carlos, David and Sheva stayed behind the troops. Jake quickly handed Marlowe to Claire – asking her to look after him. He turned to Helena and she came to join him.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked sharply.

"My sister's in there." she explained with a frown. "I'm joining fight – I'm not gonna stay behind!"

Chris growled under his breath, "What's the problem?" he wasn't pleased with all the interference occurring suddenly.

Piers intercepted immediately, "Captain, her sister's inside and she would like to help our cause."

"Out of the question!" Chris dismissed, turning away to resume his position.

"Captain, please – I will keep an eye out for her but you have to believe me when I say she can handle herself." Piers insisted.

"She really can." Claire and Sheva added with a laugh.

Chris let out a dramatic sigh and went on about his business. Jill smiled to them, "That's his way of saying 'sure'."

Piers smiled to Helena and she came to his side, intent on sticking with him. He reached into his pocket and handed her a Picador handgun. "Do you know how to –"

"Heh, I shot Peter with a gun like this once…" she mused, removing the safety.

He sighed, _I'll take that as a yes. _

Steve approached Ada and Leon while they clung to wall in preparation for the coming raid. "I'll stay out here and keep an eye on things. David, Carlos and I will protect Claire, Sheva and Jake's little bro. Good luck in there."

"Thanks, it's been great working with you kiddo." Leon said with a smirk.

Jake and his father stood in front the concrete wall, they were going to break it down and allow the BSAA to toss in their neutralizing agent before they rushed in; that way none of the monsters inside would cause casualties. His father asked if he was ready and he conceded.

With a quick thrust forward, their fists collided with the concrete wall – it crumbled on impact. The soldiers were in awe but Chris demanded they all maintain their focus.

As the dust and debris slowly settled, silence surrounded them. There wasn't an audible resonance to be heard; straight ahead was a thick fog blanketing the forest of the damned. Helena narrowed her eyes, zeroing in on a silhouette in the distance – tall and masculine; it looked like a person from a far but her trained eyes observed an irregular method of movement...

Wesker realized he had to fall back; his vision was impaired and he'd only be in the way if he advanced. Jake could see better than his father but the trees looked blurry… however, he was fortunate to notice that figure slowly approaching them.

Jake tackled his father out of the way as it sprang at them. The BSAA fell into disarray as more of the monsters escaped to advance on them, knocking them to the ground. Some people were shaken badly and thrown against walls, others were punched square in the face or worse _bitten_.

"Sheva! Claire! Get back **right now**!" Steve roared and the girls raced towards the BSAA's vehicles with Marlowe safely in Claire's arms.

Jake helped his father to stand and they sprang into action, crushing the monsters with brute force. Chris was knocked down by a creature and tried defending himself with his rifle but he was saved by a free bullet fired. He glanced back to see none other than Helena. She helped him stand up and smirked with pride.

Chris offered a small smile, "Heh, I'll never doubt civilians again."

Piers helped his fellow soldiers and Jill offered a helping hand. Steve, Carlos and David were taking out some on their own while Ada and Leon flawlessly eliminated the ones threatening them.

"Finn, Marco! Use the neutralizer now!" Parker instructed while fighting off one of the monsters.

The soldiers did as they were told and hurled three large orb shaped canisters into the forest. When they hit the ground, a yellow mist escaped in a burst of light and every other monster inside the forest never got a chance to escape – they collapsed to the ground, dead.

"It worked!" Jill observed with a grin. "Excellent!"

Chris came to stand beside her. "Yeah, now all that's left is to finish off the ones out here. Stick with me, Jill – I want to make sure you're safe."

Jill offered a wide smile, "I could say the same for you, mister."

The alliance began to tear apart the monsters, finishing them off with a flurry of bullets and melee's [on the Wesker family's part]. Meanwhile, Sheva, Claire and Marlowe hid beside a large tank vehicle. Sheva realized the bullets were scattering dangerously close to where they were and a light bulb went off in her head.

"Claire," the redhead turned to her with Marlowe crushed against her for safety. "We can hide inside this tank if we can get the door open." She pointed to the hatch atop the tank.

"I'll get it." Claire volunteered, she handed Marlowe to Sheva. "Please, just watch him for a moment while I release the lock." Sheva nodded and Claire climbed up the side of tank to grip the hatch and pull on it. "Dammit! It won't budge!" she fussed.

"I can open it." Marlowe stated with a smile.

Sheva raised a brow. "But you're just a –" She was shocked when he easily escaped her grasp to climb up beside Claire.

"Marlowe –"

"I'm stronger than I look." he said cutely and rubbed his hands together before gripping the door and yanking it open with little effort.

The women were stunned; their eyes were wide and mouths hung open. "O-Oh… um… Good job!" Claire managed with a sheepish grin.

"You're my Nanny Bear's mommy so that means you're my grandma." he beamed.

Claire blinked but blushed a bit, "But um, Sherry's not your mother Mar…"

"I know but she's like my second mommy and Jake's like my second daddy. That means you're my second grandma."

The redhead was shocked by that but she smiled warmly, planting a kiss on his hair. "I'd love to be your _grandma_." she said kindly though there was a slight twitch to her face.

Sheva was grinning, trying to keep herself from laughing at her friend. _She's trying so hard not to be disturbed by being called a grandmother at 30 years old. _"Hey grandma, you mind giving me a hand so I can climb up?" she snickered.

Claire growled but helped her anyway, "I'll remember that when I'm babysitting your kids! I'll tell them all about how their mommy makes fun of their grandma and they'll hate you forever!"

Sheva laughed while climbing into the top of the tank, slowly descending the ladder to the inside. Claire pulled Marlowe into her arms again and got ready to follow her but a heavy impact a few feet away from them stopped her in her tracks. Claire's breath caught in her throat when she found herself staring at the most grotesque obscenity.

The creature looked as if it was a human at some point but its skin was removed and all that remained was muscle. The face was distorted with the teeth in complete deformation, its ribcage was cracked open and it bled excessively.

"Claire! Hurry!" Sheva shouted from below.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. As soon as it laid eyes on them, it leapt and Claire immediately shielded Marlowe as it neared – but it never reached her. She saw a flash and was shocked to see Jake snapping its neck – killing it instantly.

"Hi Jake!" Marlowe greeted cutely.

"Jake! Thanks for coming!" she beamed happily, letting out a sigh of relief. He looked at her and she rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "Jake… your eyes are like a… alligator? Crocodile? Some type of reptile."

Jake huffed at her, "Hey, Mar and sorry Claire, I didn't mean to startle you. Go on inside the tank where you'll be safe. We're about to head into the forest so I won't be able to look out for you."

"Got it…" she said quietly. "Tell Steve and Carlos that Sheva and I are in here so they won't worry."

"Be careful, Jake..." Marlowe said meekly from Claire's arms.

Jake sent him a small reassuring smile, "I'll bring her back little guy, I promise." He encouraged Marlowe to climb down first and he did. Afterwards, he looked at Claire. "I'll let them know where you are. And about Mar… well, he's stronger than he looks so if push comes to shove, he can take care of you, but I'd prefer if you kept him out of danger." He helped her grab onto the ladder.

Claire smiled, "Oh I know, trust me if it weren't for him, this door wouldn't be open." she chuckled. "I promise I'll keep him safe, you promise you'll bring Sherry back to me safely." Despite his eyes frightening her a bit, she could still see Jake behind them and he was still the man her 'daughter' fell in love with.

"I will."

"If you can do that, you have my blessings to marry her and give me little ones to squeeze with love and affection."

Jake chuckled and thanked her. "I'll take you up on that." he said. She gave him a warm, loving hug before descending the ladder down into the tank and he shut the door behind her. _Even in a crisis, she still smiles… just like Sherry does. _He frowned, feeling that sense of loneliness without her beside him and fear for her safety; he could feel anger boiling within him. _I'm coming for you Sherry… Just hang in there._

Piers and Helena walked up to him, the other BSAA troops had gone ahead inside the forest to exterminate whatever was leftover of the monsters. Ada and Leon were waiting for them by the opening. "Come on, Jake." Piers said.

Jake jumped from the tank and they all raced over to the agents. "We're going straight for the mansion's lab." Leon explained. "Ada says her radar just lost signal, that means we have to hurry. I don't know if Deborah and Sherry are together but let's pray they stay safe until we make it."

"Alright, let's do it." Jake growled.

"Let's go save my sister and my _girlfriend_." Helena said.

Jake slowly looked at her. "You have Piers now, leave my girl alone."

Helena shrugged, "Just because I have Piers doesn't mean she still isn't my type, big guy."

Jake and Piers sighed in union, shaking their heads at her. "Some things never change…" Jake said and Piers agreed with him.

The five of them raced inside the dark forest, Jake following the rest at a steady pace since his vision wasn't the best. They kept forward until they could see an old dilapidated mansion, the concrete steps crumbled, the door was in shreds and the estate was literally falling apart from the inside out.

They came around the back of the mansion to find more dying trees and the foul stench of death. The odor came from the small well a few feet away. Leon voiced out that it was probably the dumping site for bodies now and Ada agreed. They found the hatch and opened it up to find a set of stairs. Ada volunteered to go first, followed by Helena and then the men entered, slowly closing the hatch behind them.

* * *

Simmons' agents threw Sherry into a small dungeon-like room and forced her to change into a medical gown. It was thin, tying at the sides and there was a split in the front, exposing her cleavage. They allowed her to keep her underwear on but even her shoes and socks were taken. The room was cold with its concrete floor and four walls. There was simply no way for her to warm herself.

Sherry was terrified of what was to come but tried hard to remain positive – she knew Jake was coming for her, she just prayed that Simmons didn't get to her first. She decided that for the time being, she would cooperate with them but if she saw a moment to escape, she wouldn't hesitate.

The delicate woman looked down at the locket around her neck. Her parents were smart to give her something that was so closely resembled jewelry that it avoided detection. Strangely enough, she felt safe with it on – it was her last resort of defense; it was a gift from her parents…

_We may not ever have a strong family bond, but I truly do forgive you. _Her delicate fingers grazed over the smooth surface and a smile came to her face.

She was startled when the door opened and two of Simmons agents entered, tossing someone inside before quickly leaving and locking the door behind them. Sherry started towards the person, it was a girl and she looked strangely familiar.

_Wait a second… _"D-Deborah?"

Deborah looked up at her, struggling to pull herself from the floor. "Who are you..?" she asked. Sherry helped her sit up, slinging her arm over her shoulder and wrapping an arm around her back.

"My name's Sherry, I'm a friend of Helena." she told her, helping her rest her back against the wall closest to them. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…" she breathed, letting out a sigh of relief when she was backed against the wall. "Wait, I recognize you – you're the girl who was after my father that day in the hospital… Er – I mean, _Simmons_ – not my father, sorry."

Sherry held up hands up, "I'm sorry about that –"

"Don't be… he's no good. I know that now so… thanks for trying to help me before."

Sherry managed a small smile, "No need to thank me… I'm just happy you're alright." she leaned against the wall beside her. "You've been here before, right?"

"Yes," Deborah replied, facing her lap. "This place is a hell hole."

"What's gonna happen to us?" the petite blonde asked, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"Nothing good…" said Deborah. "I hope my sister comes for me… you said you know her, right?"

"Yeah, she used to flirt with me but I think she's moved on to Piers now." Sherry tried to sound humorous but she just came off depressed. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to stay positive but this is scary…I'm sure your sister will come. We'll be rescued – we just have to be patient and have faith."

"I'm scared too and I'm trying Sherry but I've been here before and when I was, I was beaten so many times… It's a miracle I'm not permanently damaged... We are hopelessly vulnerable in here." Deborah explained, a few tears escaped her and she was visibly trembling.

_I must have healed her wounds that day in the hospital. _Sherry thought quietly. "We may be cornered but we can still defend ourselves." she said softly.

"How? We're so much smaller than those guys!"

Sherry huffed and offered a small smile to Deborah, "After all of the training my boyfriend has put me through, I'm pretty sure we can take them down and make a run for it." she turned and put her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "But here's the catch, we have to be smart about it and I need you to be my guide once we get out."

"You have a plan?" Deborah was shocked – how could she have an idea of what to do already?

Sherry smiled, "I wasn't sure I could pull this off alone, but since we're together – I'm sure we can do it."

"Okay… so what's the plan?"

* * *

Two of Simmons agents came to the holding cell, they entered the room and were shocked to see that Deborah was alone.

"Where is the other girl?!" they demanded, roughly pulling her to her feet.

Deborah was terrified and shook her head quickly. "I-I don't know!" She looked past them at Sherry – she was above the door, clinging to a wooden beam on the ceiling.

Sherry nodded to her and Deborah tried to distract them, rabbling about her escaping with a hidden key and other lies. When Sherry gave her the thumbs up, Deborah pointed out the door. "There she is! She just ran that way!"

"Keep an eye on her, I'll go find her." one of them said, racing out the door and shutting it behind him.

The agent gave Deborah a cruel grin, "You better be telling the truth, or otherwise… That pretty head of yours is getting cut off."

Sherry quietly climbed down from the ceiling and crouched down, advancing on the man while his back was turned. _Only one shot at this… _Right on time, Deborah powerfully kicked the man in the groin and darted out of the way as Sherry seized the moment that he crumbled down to quickly run up behind him and push him into the wall, his head collided with it loudly and a cracking sound was heard. He slid face first to the ground, out cold.

The girls high-fived, "It worked, Sherry! We actually did it!" Deborah cheered quietly.

"We're not done yet," Sherry said solemnly. She crouched down to search the fallen agent and was pleased to find a weapon… it was a gun. She didn't know how to use it but she was sure she could threaten the other guy with it. "We have to knock the other guy out too. Otherwise they could alert some more goons and we surely will be doomed if they do."

"Okay, so what do we do?" Deborah asked, watching Sherry observe the gun with caution and obvious hesitance.

"We wait –" the distinct sound of shoes clattering towards the room made her grow silent. "Stand there – I'll get in the corner and we'll ambush him when he enters."

Deborah nodded and stood nervously in front of the unconscious agent, Sherry ran to the corner, the gun in her shaky hands.

Agent entered quickly, staring with horror at Deborah. "The hell did you –"

Sherry swiftly knocked him in the back of the head with her gun, he cried out and stumbled forward. Deborah kicked him between the legs like she'd done to the other agent and he doubled over. Sherry pulled his jacket over his head and the girls twirled him to make him dizzy. Once he was completely disoriented, Sherry gave him a forceful roundhouse kick, knocking him down to the ground with a thud.

He was out like a light.

_Wow… I'm much tougher than I thought! Thanks for all the muscle cramps and agonizing training sessions Jake! _She thought happily and then proceeded to raid the downed agents' pockets. She found cell keys, another gun and a baton. She handed the other gun to Deborah and kept the keys and baton in her hands with her own gun. "Alright, you've been here before – mind showing me the way out?"

Deborah grinned, hugging her quickly, "It would be my pleasure."

The girls escaped their prison and quickly made their way through a long corridor of many more cells. Deborah led the way and Sherry was beginning to think their journey would never end. Finally, a tall metal door was in sight. Deborah informed Sherry that it was the way out of their nightmare. They pushed open the heavy steel doors and stepped out into the laboratory.

The laboratory was huge with monsters lined up in tanks around them as they walked – all appeared to be in some sort of cyrostasis. To their left was another steel door and straight ahead was an endless hall filled with more of the monsters in tanks.

"Oh my God…" Sherry whispered; her eyes were wide in horror. She observed the creatures in each tank with ill ease. "So the legends were true after all… Spencer city actually has monsters…"

Deborah was also in discomfort, "I've seen them many times and I still can't bring myself to stare at them without feeling my insides threatening to come up."

"I can see why; come on, let's get the hell out of here." Sherry said.

"Where do you think you're going, _Kitten_?"

Sherry and Deborah whirled around to see none other than Derek C. Simmons. He stood before a crew of five armed men, aimed and ready to fill them full of holes upon command. The girls held up their hands to surrender but they were openly displaying their disdain for the man in charge.

"I'm not your kitten, _Simmons_." Sherry spat bitterly, "You can capture us but Jake and the others will come and I'm sure they will tear you limb from limb."

"Is that right?" Simmons chuckled; he appeared amused by her statement. "And how do you propose they find this place? No one has entered the forests of Spencer city in years. I'm afraid your little proposition is baseless and dubious."

The sudden flashing of red lights and alarms sounding off startled everyone in the area. Simmons spun around and demanded an answer for the sudden uproar. One of his agents ran towards him from the steel door on the left – stopping before him in a fit of coughs and deep breaths.

"S-Sir! The lab has been invaded by…" he panted exhaustedly with his hands on his knees.

Simmons snatched him up by his collar, "Spit out you piece of shit! Who has invaded my lab?!"

"T-The BSAA has b-broken through the b-barrier to the forests… A-And Agents Kennedy and W-Wong are i-in the l-laboratory! A-And they're not a-alone – they brought W-Wesker's son a-and two m-more people!"

"What?!" Simmons threw the man to the floor and began to kick him in his ribs. "You worthless scum – all of you!" he roared, throwing accusatory gestures at all his agents. "How could you let them get in here without knowing? Don't just stand there like imbeciles! Go – **now**!"

"Or you could help our cause." Sherry spoke suddenly, alerting the fearful agents. "Simmons' judgment day has come. If you defect now there may still be a chance for you to elude punishment for working for him. Think about it, would you rather be killed or arrested for standing with a man who beats you and treats you less than human? Or would you rather join us in ending his nightmare reign once and for all?"

The agents appeared torn between the two options. Simmons let out a haughty laugh, "You poor naïve bitch." he spat, "They wouldn't dare turn their back on me! I will destroy anything that threatens my ambition! When I become immortal, nothing will stop me! I will be a superhuman beyond your wildest dreams – then and only then will you see a true reign of nightmares!"

His agents must have found this offensive [and rightfully so]. They immediately ran to Deborah and Sherry, their guns aimed at Simmons. This infuriated the former inheritor of Spencer's legacy, he couldn't believe his control was fading. All of his former allies had deserted him…

"It looks like your loyal crew isn't pleased with your sick, freakish fantasy Simmons." Deborah said with a grin and Sherry agreed with her statement.

Simmons began gritting his teeth with seething rage. "So… it has begun." he growled, shooting the two women an alarmingly furious glare. "Let's see if they can save you before I finish you off."

Sherry furrowed her brows in thought. _What is he talking about? He's all alone… He can't take all of these men on by himself._

"Simmons!"

The agents of Simmons turned around to find themselves staring at four armed individuals and one with some eerily frightening eyes.

Jake, Ada, Leon, Piers and Helena had finally arrived.

"Jake, Leon!" Sherry shouted with glee; She and Deborah immediately ran over to them. Sherry buried her face into Jake's chest while Deborah hid behind Piers and her sister, thanking them both for coming.

"Glad to see you two are okay." Leon said, maintaining his focus on the league of men ahead.

Jake removed his coat and gave it to Sherry – she gladly put it on. "Don't fire on the agents – they've defected from him." she said. The legion of men relocated to stand behind the others, their weapons fixed on the lone man standing before them.

Simmons didn't look too good; he was hunched over, panting excessively in what may be interpreted as rage. Jake balled his fists and started to tremble from his need to pound the man's face in. "You made your biggest mistake trying to use Sherry – funny, the one thing you searched for all these years is the one thing that brought about your downfall."

The demented man let out another haughty laugh, "Oh spare me that you wild heathen! You're nothing but a waste! Your blood … you don't deserve it! You're ungrateful and incompetent – you and all of the other monsters hiding behind human skin! Those creatures out there…? That's what you really are! Monsters!"

Sherry gripped Jake's arm gently, sending him a small smile as she held his hand. _We are not monsters, we're just different. Like you told me before… You're no monster, you're just different – and so am I._

Her thoughts had brought comfort to him; he took in some air and shot a hard look to the man ahead. "I don't believe in monsters," he started slowly. "I believe in people – sick, crazy ass people. You call us monsters yet we aren't the ones terrorizing people and abusing their lives. When I see what you've done to these people, I don't see them as monsters – I see them as humans… turned into monsters by a real monster. And that monster is none other than you, Simmons – because if you had died instead of your predecessor, the world would have been a better place."

"You dare call me a monster, Jake Wesker?!" He was furious. Simmons reached into his pocket and everyone removed the safety from their guns, ready to fire whenever. He pulled out a cell phone and laughed at them, "Look at you all – terrified of me yet I'm just a mere human. I'm no monster – I am simply _immortal_!"

"And how do you intend to gain immortality, Simmons? By using advanced human blood to further your own strength? Have you been blind to the fact that every time you've attempted this and used it on innocent people that it's backfired and just wreaked havoc?" Sherry asked.

"Face it Simmons, you're no immortal – you're just a fool with a dream beyond your own body and mind." Leon snapped.

"The only reason why he's calling our kind monsters is because he's jealous he wasn't born as special as we are." Jake smirked, taunting the man. "Damn Simmons, don't hate on folks just because you're not as great as we are. You're all alone and you always will be."

Simmons was gritting his teeth so much now that it looked as if he would shatter them, "You act as if I cannot call your father, Jake. I'll have him come bail me out of this and I'll be invincible again. I'm not alone – I still have –"

"You still have your fantasy world, but that's about it."

Emerging from behind the others, Wesker approached Simmons with the other BSAA troops surrounding him, ready to fire. "You've lost, Derek." Wesker said calmly.

"What is the meaning of this?! You are one of my strongest allies – why are you turning your back on me?!" he demanded with bloodshot eyes.

"I've never enjoyed working alongside you, Derek. You are what we all refer to as a **nuisance**. Your insistence and selfish conquests have brought nothing but shame upon Spencer's legacy, in fact we intend on eradicating you from this world and erasing your ties to his legacy altogether. You are not immortal Simmons, and your crimes stop here."

A series of hysterical chuckles escaped the mad man, he crouched over, chuckling like a jackal. The alliance watched with caution as he slowly composed himself. He held up a needle, startling everyone once again. He giggled some more and removed the cap from the tip. "You may have taken that Birkin bitch away from me, but I've always had a backup! …William's grandmother…"

Wesker frowned behind his dark shades, "You retrieved them…" he growled.

"I thought you said they were hidden?" Chris asked.

"The location was supposed to be kept in confidence by Spencer… at least that's what we assumed."

Simmons let out a manic hearty laugh, "I found them a while back… I've already given myself a dose of that blood… Now, I will administer your son's blood and let's see the effects! I'll surely be a God!"

"No! Stop!" Leon shouted.

But it was too late.

Simmons injected himself with the vile of Jake's blood and doubled over in agony. He kicked and thrashed about on the floor, his body twisting up into painful positions, everyone watched with horror as his eyes began to bleed and his teeth started to fall out.

"He's… he's dying." Helena said slowly; a mix of confusion and worry on her face. "Will he transform?"

"No," Wesker said, "He's such an imbecile that he forgot the Birkin blood is weak against the Wesker. And with the Birkin blood inside him, the Wesker blood is attacking it and destroying him from within."

"So, we're just gonna let him die?" Piers asked angrily. "He needs to suffer for his crimes! He needs to be put away to think daily of what he's done. Death is too easy for him."

Sherry glanced back and forth between the alliance and Simmons' distorted body, the life slowly fading from him. She grasped the locket on her neck containing the antidote her parents gave her. _He needs to face his crimes. It's necessary… _

Jake watched with fright as Sherry darted over to the man, he sprinted for her and pulled her away in an instant. "What the hell are you doing?!" he demanded.

"Piers is right!" she explained, fidgeting and trying to get out of his grasp. "He needs to go to jail, not die! For all the people he's harmed, he needs to face the people and be convicted by them before he meets judgment in the afterlife." she opened her locket and revealed a small pill within – the antidote to neutralize the Wesker blood's effect on a Birkin.

"What is that?" Jake asked her.

"It's an antidote my parents gave me in case Simmons tried to inject me with your blood, Jake." she told him. "It's supposed to stop your blood from killing a host of the G-virus. Obviously Simmons is not a Birkin but he said he's injected himself with my great grandmother's blood and therefore it's inside him. For some reason the effects aren't like yours or Marlowe's effect on humans… but either way –"

"It must be because your virus only works on the women in your family." Jake concluded, "Therefore it's not gonna work on Simmons."

"But since your virus is within him now, the effects are still fatal." Wesker finished, "Perhaps that antidote will save his life."

"Do we really care if he lives or not?" Chris wondered aloud bitterly.

Piers glanced at Helena and Deborah, the oldest Harper had her arms wrapped around her sister. She turned to him, "Piers, you told me that you captured those scumbags that killed little Mai, remember? Well, I want Simmons to face the courts and see what he's done to all these innocent people, my parents and my sister. You and Sherry are right, he needs to suffer for the rest of his life. If he's killed now, that's the end of it. We need to see this through and have him arrested."

Piers smiled and turned to his captain, "Sir, I think we all want to see him face justice. If he dies here, it's all fruitless."

"We all came together to catch this shithead because he put so many of us through hell. He's turned human beings into damned creations, kept secrets from the government by deceiving others and killing witnesses… and he's ruined families." Jake said quietly. "We can only move on… if we put this bastard behind bars."

Sherry smiled, nodding to everyone else. Wesker approached her and volunteered to administer the antidote and she easily handed it over. Everyone held their breath as he forced Simmons mouth open, dropping the pill inside. Simmons' unnaturally twisted body seemed broken beyond repair – they wondered was it too late.

Silence enveloped the alliance as they waited for him to return to normal.

It seemed like hours had passed when in reality it'd been only a minute when his body slowly began to unwind; first his legs and then finally his arms, neck and finally his torso. He gasped desperately for air, panting and coughing as he tried to push off the ground and stand.

Once he stumbled to his feet, Ada and Leon moved in; Ada cuffed him while Leon read him his rights. He finished with a smirk, "Let's see how immortal you really are, Simmons… because the life sentences you're about to face are surely extensive."

When everyone exited the laboratory and reached the outside, the BSAA's vehicles were already waiting for them. Sherry could see a nice amount of troops hauling away corpses and creatures into trucks with cages. Steve and his bodyguards were helping with the cleanup.

Simmons was forced into a BSAA army vehicle along with Ada, Leon and Chris who would be driving them back to London. Before they left, they tossed their keys to Helena so she could drive their car back to her place.

Jill walked up to Piers and grinned, "I'll drive back, you… take a ride with your girlfriend." she said kindly, pinching his cheek.

"Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded and he reached into his pocket for the keys to give her. She started off with a wave and he headed straight for Helena. "So, do you mind if I hitch a ride with you and Debbie back to London?"

Helena threw her arms around his neck, kissing him gently – when she pulled away, a small smile graced her lovely features. "Does that answer your question?"

Piers blushed, hugging her tightly. "Yeah, it does Honey." Deborah came up to the two and they embraced her as well, sharing with the youngest Harper that they were overjoyed that she was safe.

"Let's go home now." Deborah said cheerfully, "I'm hungry and you get paid a lot Piers so I'm expecting high-quality Chinese food. I'm serious – I'm so ordering all the sesame seed chicken I desire and you're buying!"

He laughed heartily, putting her in a headlock and ruffling her hair. "Anything for you little sis!" he put his other arm around Helena's neck and kissed her forehead sweetly. "Let's go ladies." he said and they hopped into one of the vehicles. They would ride in it until they were outside the forests where Ada and Leon's car was.

Piers sat between the sisters, planting frequent kisses onto Helena's chestnut tresses. He took in some air and released it. _It's finally done… and they're safe. _

"We did it, Piers…" Helena said softly, leaning her head on his shoulder. "We made it. And we're all finally … together."

He buried his face into her hair and sighed, "Yeah… we'll always be together, Honey – I promise."

Back at the mansion, Sherry and Jake watched as Wesker oversaw the completion of all extractions of infected beings. She reached over and held his hand tightly; she was trembling from the cold but she couldn't contain her emotions at the moment.

"It's over…" Sherry said softly… "We got him…" she turned to Jake with tears glistening in her watery eyes. "We don't have to hide anymore. We're _free_."

Jake smiled warmly and wrapped his arm around her waist. He kissed her chastely on the lips, feeling his body calm from her touch. He felt relieved that she was safe and with him again – she meant the world to him and he would be nothing without her. Some feet away, Claire and Marlowe were helped from the tank by Steve. The beautiful redhead waved to them with a bright, cheery smile on her face. Marlowe was in her arms and he was beaming as well.

"Come on you two!" Claire beckoned loudly, "We're leaving!"

Sherry giggled, pulling Jake with her towards the tank. Jake helped her into the top and she climbed down the ladder, hugging and kissing both Marlowe and Claire, they were all crying tears of joy and eventually Sheva joined in on the emotional display. Marlowe [being the young, charmer he was], tried to alleviate the women by suggesting they hug him because he was a great stress reliever. They laughed and showered him with the affection he so eagerly craved.

Jake stopped before climbing inside; he turned his attention to the bright full moon in the sky. He took a moment to admire the once dark, eerie forest come to life under the moonlight. The former deathly silence was no more, Jake was surprised to find himself hearing crickets and suddenly the sound of birds. It was as if Spencer city was about to reawaken. Jake wondered was it the evil that warded off all the life forms…

Simmons was finally caught, he was in cuffs and the evidence against him was overwhelming. There was nothing more to worry about – no reason to remain locked away or hidden. The forest was free of Simmons' evil; he, Sherry and Marlowe were free of him as well.

"Yeah… we're finally free." he said, gazing at the moon with a small smile. "_We're finally free_."

* * *

A/N: There's chapter 20! I hope you liked it! Next chapter is the final chapter, I hope everyone will stick around to see it end.

Btw, I used the bloodshots from RE6 in here because I'm saving my own grotesque monsters for my next long running fic lol.

I'm gonna try my hand at doing a semi-canon fic because I've always done AU but I think I can pull off canon… it's worth a shot to try something different.

Thanks for the support everyone, I'll update soon and we can close the book on this fic together. :D

See ya soon!

-Vio


	22. A New Life

Final Chapter

A New Life

* * *

The trial of Derek C. Simmons commenced in April after over 3 months of mounting evidence against him. The once intimidating Derek C. Simmons arrived at the courthouse with no one to defend him. His lawyer had bailed on him, unable to bring themselves to contend a case as mind-blowing as his. Simmons embarrassingly decided to represent himself in court and was overwhelmed by all the evidence against him. He threw quite a few fits of rage only to be hauled away by security.

The prosecution called to the witness stand Leon, Ada, my parents, Mr. Wesker and the star witness was Deborah. Her testimony brought tears to everyone in the courtroom as she described the horrors she was put through and the heinous treatment she was given by a man who called himself her father.

To everyone's surprise, Jake's old mentor – Jack Krauser shown up as another witness for the prosecution. When he finished his testimony, he went to comfort Deborah and apologized openly for being unable to keep her as safe as he could have. He was forgiven instantly with a warm hug from Deborah.

Many other witnesses were brought forward over the course of the trial; I sat in the third row together with Jake and Mar was quietly observing the trial in my lap. Helena, Piers, Steve, Claire and David were beside us – Carlos and Sheva had checkups to the doctor the day of so they were unable to attend.

After all cards were played, Simmons attempted to go for an insanity defense but the judge wasn't buying it one bit. The man simply made a fool out of himself the entire time and the jury was disgusted by him. They deliberated for a mere 2 hours and returned with their verdict.

Simmons was found guilty for all crimes against him.

The courthouse in the U.S was crowded with all of those impacted by his deeds; they cheered and cried tears of joy as the mad man was sentenced to serve over 4,000 years – a completely excessive decree by a judge but no one complained.

After the verdict was handed down and justice was served, all eyes watched with satisfaction as the once arrogant Derek C. Simmons was dragged away to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Simmons' reign of terror was finally over.

His downfall caused the end of the Spencer legacy; the experimentation and research into super humans was terminated, all the former scientists and workers of the cause were relocated to other departments as the judge ruled it was inhumane to experiment on people without permission and feared that this could occur again.

My father and Mr. Wesker were still allowed to make serums to prevent fatal occurrences in the Birkin and Wesker bloodline since their endeavors were being made to prevent the Birkin's vulnerability to the Progenitor and the Wesker's still needed an antidote for their looming threat of blindness.

The Ashford family legacy seemed to lie in the fate of Mar as Alexia was the last carrier of the bloodline in full but because of his mixed gene's, it was later determined that there is a possibility he will not pass on the T-Veronica as once again, the Progenitor virus proved to be a dominate gene.

Spencer city was eventually demolished along with the older section of Valkoinen Mokki after all the possible evidence was recovered. All of the criminals and other hellhounds that once roamed the desolate streets of Spencer were ushered elsewhere as there no longer were any buildings or other means of residence.

Simmons conviction called for a complete clean sweep of the world for more of his malicious influence – every sign of him was eradicated along with the Spencer legacy, never to be spoken of again.

It had been a long grueling winter but in the end it was worth it. There was no need for sadness anymore – the sun was shining as the season of new life emerged, the flowers were blooming and the air was cool and refreshing. Our hellish ordeal was finally over but the future was still to come…

* * *

After the trial, I returned to my usual routine of caring for Mar and tidying the new home the Wesker's and myself was residing in. we had settled in a nice in Tall Oaks. It wasn't as big as the other houses we had been in but it was cozy and I'd grown used to it over the last 3 months. Two floors, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, basement, attic, the works. It was a lot easier to clean and I had much less trouble keeping up with Mar now.

Though looking after the little angel wasn't a problem at all anymore – Mrs. Stephanie had really upped her game and was more than attentive to his needs. Mr. Wesker had also done a 360 change; ever since Simmons was arrested, he wasn't as reclusive and had no issue reading and spending time with Mar.

I sat quietly in the bedroom I shared with Jake, a basket full of freshly cleaned clothes was beside me and I folded them neatly to place in the drawers. We were allowed to share a room now that we were official and it was a pleasant gesture.

At the moment, Jake was away taking care of some business matters and I could hear Mar giggling and running about the halls as Mrs. Stephanie chased him down. I had no one to occupy my thoughts so they wandered endlessly as I put away the clothes.

In the days leading up to the trial, I noticed a particularly heartbreaking fact while preparing dinner for Mar one evening. I went to feed him and Mrs. Stephanie shown up and asserted that she would do it in my stead. For anyone else, this may seem normal and helpful… but for me, I felt like I was beginning to lose my place in Mar's life.

I spent all my time with him when I was first hired – I cooked and cleaned while making sure he was safe and entertained. But now things were different; Mrs. Stephanie cooked and cleaned alongside me, even bathed him and read him bed time stories if he asked. Mr. Wesker even entertained him and looked after him when chores were being done by Mrs. Stephanie and me…

I could feel a dull aching deep within my heart, I felt like I was shattering within despite the smile I presented to the world. The bitter reality was, now that Mrs. Stephanie and Mr. Wesker were stepping up to care for him like loving parents…

I had no place with him anymore.

This revelation brought me back to my past and I wondered what my next step could be. Despite all my time with the Wesker's and all the money I saved up… I had nothing to aspire for. I still had no clue what I wanted to do with my life.

I sighed morosely and closed the drawer once I finished my task. Rising from the glossy and polished wooden floor, I carried the empty basket with me out of the bedroom, down the hall and into the basement.

"Come on, Marlowe – it's time for bed!" I heard Mrs. Stephanie shout with a laugh.

It was late, my watch read 9:13 pm and I wondered when Jake would be returning. He very well may have gone to assist Piers with whatever they were planning – he didn't tell me much but it had something to do with 'business'.

Tall Oaks was the place where Piers and Helena grew up together and this town was also significant because it was the place where I made my first real change with my life. Yet here I was again, only this time I wasn't working at a coffee shop but I still was anxious about my job…

I pulled my cell from my pocket to send Jake a quick text. **Where are you? It's late… **I texted him with pouty lips as if he could see me.

A moment later he replied. _**On my way now baby girl. See you in a bit. **_

I replied with a simple 'okay' and put away my phone and ascended the stairs out of the basement only to run into Mrs. Stephanie.

"Oh, Sherry – forgive me for startling you but, Albert and I would like to have a talk with you." she simpered.

And the pain shot through my stomach like lightning when I heard those words. I nodded mutely to her and followed her to Mr. Wesker's new study and office.

The new house was embellished in shades of red and gold, the floors were glossy and wood and the walls were a simple opal color. Mrs. Stephanie knocked on the wooden door ahead of us before entering, beckoning me inside to have a seat on the couch in front of Mr. Wesker's desk.

The whole room was set up diagonally, a major difference from the usual orderly and fixed décor. I nervously placed my hands on my lap and kept my head lowered; I already knew why I was being called there. I just wasn't prepared for it…

"Miss Birkin, why are you so gloom?" Mr. Wesker asked me, a hint of concern was evident but only momentarily.

"Forgive me, sir." I began shyly. "I just… I fancy I know why I have been called here and it saddens me…"

Mrs. Stephanie had sat on the corner of his desk but upon seeing me tear up; she approached me and stroked my back perhaps in effort to calm me, "Sherry… I'm so sorry. Believe me, this isn't easy – especially after everything you've done for our family… but as long as you are Marlowe's caretaker – we cannot stand up and do our part as parents."

My head dropped and I silently began to weep. _Why did I have to be right? What I wouldn't give to just be wrong for once… _"I-I understand…" I whispered with a hiccup.

"Sherry… Why do you cry, angel?" Mrs. Stephanie asked and her arms circled around my trembling form.

"Because… I-I love Mar, h-he's like a s-son or little b-brother to me," I explained; I felt like my heart was rupturing. "I don't w-want t-to leave him…"

"Miss Birkin, you are exempt of your duties but that does not mean you are prohibited from being in the child's life." I heard Mr. Wesker's tone become hushed; I wondered briefly if he pitied me.

"R-Really?" I slowly raised my head to peer at him.

He nodded, glancing at his wife and I followed his gaze – she was smiling so warmly, so kindly… "Sherry, you're with our son." she chimed. "As long as Jake is in Marlowe's life, you are. As a couple, you two have the choice to see Marlowe whenever you please. There aren't any restrictions for you."

"We are indebted to you and my son; if it weren't for the two of you having such passion and perseverance – we would have never been blessed with the opportunity to parent our child." Wesker informed, a ghost of a smile came to his features. "It is necessary that I commend you for your endless devotion and the love you brought to my family, Miss Birkin. You changed us all, therefore – no matter what the future holds for you, you are welcome to our home without contempt."

I offered them both a small smile and tried to fight against the melancholy still within me, "Of course I-I… oh, forgive me – this is all so confusing." _More like my brain feels like it's about to implode and my heart's already shattered… _

She hugged me once again, placing a motherly kiss on my hair. "Thank you Sherry, for everything." she breathed, rocking me back and forth.

I left the room with the final paycheck I would be receiving from Mr. Wesker. I didn't even look at it, I just strode quietly to the room I shared with Jake, closed the door and collapsed onto the bed.

_I know I can still see him and play with him and make him smile… and that makes me feel at ease… so what's really bothering me?_

* * *

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to feel someone gently kissing the back of my nape. Feeling a familiar jolt course through my body; I knew instantly that Jake had returned. I sighed and allowed him to pull me closer, my back collided against his rigid and defined chest; he then proceeded to trail kisses down my neck to my shoulder.

"Hey super girl," he purred into my ear and I shivered. "How about we go out for a while instead of calling it a night so soon? Steve owns a pretty sweet yacht and he's throwing a small party in the next hour – wanna go?"

I peered over my shoulder to him and nodded slowly, "That sounds like fun…" I whispered and noticed him staring intently at me. "Is something the matter?"

"You've been crying." he affirmed with a frown. "Why?"

I bit my lip, averted my eyes and cursed that he could see so well with my skin glowing in the dark. "L-Let's just get ready for the party…" I protested, sliding from the bed in my thin t-shirt and panties to go to the drawers.

"Sherry… what's wrong baby?" he insisted and it pained me to hear the distress in his tone.

"It's quite sensitive to talk about right now," I pulled out a clean pair of panties and a bra, and then drifted to the walk-in closet nearby. Jake's clothes were on the right side with his shoes lined neatly on shelves and my things were on the left. "How about you help me pick out a dress instead?" I forced some humor to alleviate the rising tension.

I heard him come into the closet and he flicked on the lights, I felt his calloused and strong hands gently rest on my hips but I knew to keep my mind occupied so he would pry into my thoughts. I busied myself by going through my variety of evening dresses.

"Which should I wear?" I asked him with a small smile.

"That one." he pointed to a fitted solid baby blue halter top dress with a steep V-neck and black lace trimming.

I smiled, removing it from the hanger and breezing past him out of the closet. "I like your taste, Mister." I trifled lightly, tossing the bra I picked back into the drawer. I wouldn't be able to wear it with the dress.

I saw him nearing me with a dark look to his eyes and I sighed, "Jake, please… let's get ready so we won't be late."

"I hate not knowing what's wrong with you," he said sharply. "It bothers me, ya know? What are you hiding?"

"I'll tell you later okay baby?" I promised meekly, "Please let me tell you later."

He finally sighed and a short nod was offered to me, "Go on and shower, I'll get dressed."

"What about you? You're not joining me?" I coyly touched his arm.

"I already showered when I came in. Go on baby, we don't wanna be late and you know how slow you are with your hair."

I pouted at his insult, "My hair's too short to even worry about it." I retorted playfully and started towards our private bathroom.

Before I could close the door, I heard him shout how much he loved my short hair and I laughed. _Always the charmer aren't you, Jake?_

* * *

Jake and I arrived at the party on time and I was amazed by Steve's yacht. It was quite luxurious with a solid white finish. I could make out three levels and many decorations of the front deck where everyone was. I was delighted to see everyone there. Helena, Piers, Claire, Leon, Ada, Carlos, Sheva, David – the whole gang was present!

At first I thought I was overdressed but I felt relieved when I saw Ada wearing something dressy too; a strapless red mini-dress and Sheva had on a white sundress that draped to the floor. It clung to her round belly – making her pregnancy more than obvious but she carried the affinity of a goddess of fertility; pure and radiant. They both looked so beautiful and I made sure to tell them that.

Helena wore a red and black two-piece swimsuit but had jeans on over her bottoms. Claire also came with a two-piece of her own, with an American flag likeness but she wore a white button down shirt loosely on her body.

I hugged everyone and sometime later, the party began. We danced and had a good time together, the music being played was great and the snacks and drinks were of a nice variety as well. In the midst of the fun, Steve called for a toast.

"To Simmons – you know, for being a big fat sack of garbage but he still brought us all together, ya know?" he said with a sheepish grin.

We all laughed but joined him in the toast – the comic part was that we were toasting and drinking fruit punch Kool-Aid. A strange suggestion made by my mother and friend, Claire and she was oddly proud of it.

Eventually we wound up playing a game of _I have never…_; it was a game where people had to take shots of a drink if they have done something that another player says they haven't. Apparently the goal of the game is to see how much you've done in your life and what you haven't.

Sheva wisely sat out of the drinking portion of the game [drinking while pregnant is dangerous for a baby's health].

By the time the game was over, Claire [much to my horror], Helena, Carlos and Steve were piss drunk and Leon was close. Sheva would have been if she were drinking considering she had three glasses of empty water in front of her and now was begging to be helped to the restroom.

David was kind enough to take her since his friend was sloppy drunk.

I noticed Jake had only drunk during statements about crimes and dirty dreams – which he would send me a suggestive glance every time the former was implicated.

I was very flattered though still shy…

"Okay you guys and babes!" Steve slurred, stumbling over to Claire in his drunken state. "Let's hit up the hot tub! Ladies, if you didn't bring a swimsuit, you're free to jump in naked…" he chuckled like a hyena.

I sent an amused smile to Jake and he chuckled, "Shut up Steve, you _drunk dog_." I laughed softly after remembering how much Jake **hated** _drunken dogs_. He wound his arm around my waist, gathering me into his arms and kissing me. "You did bring your swimsuit didn't you?"

I nodded, "It's in the car though."

"I'll get it for you." he kissed me once again and started for the car.

Once Jake returned, we all managed to fit inside the nicely sized Jacuzzi [after everyone changed their clothes]. My swimsuit was a two piece but my bottoms were shorts and my top was more like a halter bra. It was light blue with white ruffles along the bottom of my shorts and under my cups. Jake continuously played with the ruffles… if I didn't know any better, I'd think he was turned on by me and was waiting for permission to jump me.

My assumptions were proven once he started whispering in my ear about how big and perky my breasts looked tonight.

Guys and their imagination… Jake knows my breasts aren't like balloons or watermelons [more like oranges compared to _Helena's_ melons] but when he's turned on, he becomes almost delusional with lust.

He was doing this while everyone was talking and I think he guessed everyone was so drunk they wouldn't notice him whispering sexually suggestive comments into my ear while I sat on his lap. He even started playing with my belly button.

I'm not complaining though, his touch was always exhilarating for me.

Eventually most of the crew got so drunk [surprisingly Piers was one of them] some passed out to sleep anywhere they could. I knew we were staying overnight on the yacht but I wasn't sure why everyone didn't just go to their beds instead of sleeping on the deck or on the stairs [Carlos] but I wasn't going to wake them and get puke all over me.

It was close to 3 am when everyone killed over; Jake was kind enough to carry Sheva inside to the room she would share with Carlos since she was much too tired to climb the stairs to the second level.

Ada dragged Leon off to their room, Helena [though drunk] did the same for the unresponsive Piers. Claire and Steve were out cold but David [after he awoke], stirred them enough that they staggered to their rooms.

Jake and I took the room on the first floor; it was an extravagant room though incredibly small possessing only a bed though the bedding was gorgeous and there were impressive bright lights in the small space.

I removed my wet bathing suit and observed Jake's smoky eyes studying every curve on my naked body. I blushed but decided not to hide; he had seen me naked many times and I found it wonderful that he adored me so much. "I should hang my swimsuit somewhere to dry, otherwise it could mold." I said aloud, turning my back to him.

"Sherry," I turned to Jake just as he removed his swim trunks for me to hang and dry with my things. I unwillingly got bashful at the sight of his splendid member as it stood tall. "Come here." he held out his hand to me and accepted it.

We lay on the bed, kissing and fondling each other in the dark. The bed was cozy and soft, I felt like I was sinking into the mattress when Jake climbed on top of me, spread my legs and slid his length deep inside me. I breathed out a moan, wrapping my arms around his neck as he started a steady rhythm.

It felt so good, he was so thick and the way he grinded his hips against me just right so that he hit that special spot inside me time and time again so effortlessly. I groaned as he did it again, and again, and again – he was moving slowly, I knew he wanted to savor the moment.

"Jake," I purred like a kitten before continuing. "I love you… I love you so much."

I don't know what came over me but I began to cry. Jake held me as tightly to his body as he could, kissing away my tears and soothing me yet not once did he stop his ministrations. In a way, I think it was to show me he loved me. He did slow down but he continued to kiss me, sweet talking me as he went deeper inside me, thrusting into me all of his love.

I still had no idea why I started to cry but I felt blessed to have such a loving and affectionate boyfriend. Maybe it was because I was relieved that Simmons was really put away for good and now I knew I could go out with him again, see everyone and just feel safe with him loving me up.

Or maybe it was because of the news from earlier today…

After I came back down from an earth-shattering climax, I realized Jake was calling my name. "Sherry," his arms wound around me and he kissed my hair, "why are you crying?"

Fatigued, I cursed myself for promising to share my melancholy with him earlier. Oh well, there was nothing to be done but share… "Your parents… I was fired today."

He was silent, I would have liked to see his face but it was so dark in the room. I continued, "I know it's for the best because well, like they said – as long as I'm Mar's caretaker, they can't step up and do their job as his parents. It hurts though… it really hurts to know I can't do for him like I used to anymore… It's like I've lost a child or something."

"I wasn't expecting to be the only person in his life or anything but I feel like I have no place in his life anymore. Mrs. Stephanie can take care of his needs in some areas and your father takes care of the rest. I knew my job was at stake in the days leading up to the trial… I knew I was going to lose it – just not so soon…"

"Sherry, you're still my girl and you live with _me_. You can still see Mar and we both can still look after him. My parents just want to step up and do the right thing for once – they didn't get to do that for me with Simmons involved but now they can for Mar." he explained, stroking my hair.

His words were true and I knew that. I was actually overjoyed that they wanted to be more involved in Mar's life because all he ever wanted was his family's love and attention…. So what was really my problem?

"I know exactly how you feel, super girl." he said suddenly.

"You do?" I asked.

"Yeah; remember when I told you I looked after Mar before you came around? When you were hired, I felt like my place was taken and I somehow just assumed it was okay to disappear from the kid's life. But you showed me that it wasn't true – just because there's someone else taking care of him doesn't mean I ain't important to him. Even though my parents are taking care of him now doesn't mean you and I can't still be around him and do for him too, baby. He loves us and I know he damn sure doesn't want you to disappear."

_He's right… what am I thinking? Gosh I feel awful…_

"You're right," I sighed, "so now what do I do? I'm out of employment and I still have no clue what I want to do with my life…" _Is that my problem…?_

"You'll figure out something, baby." he kissed my shoulder tenderly. "You always do. In the meantime, I'm here for ya and I'll take good care of you."

"Thanks, Jake." I whispered, drifting off to sleep. I appreciated his love and support and it felt good to know he would take care of me like he always promised to – still, I needed to do the right thing and be strong for myself too.

* * *

The next morning, everyone met on the deck to enjoy the bright sunshine and beautiful weather. I watched with delight as the water waved, stirring the boat a bit and the wind breezed nicely through my hair. Everyone else [besides, Jake, Ada, Sheva and myself] awoke with hangovers so the weather wasn't too fantastic for them.

As everyone prepared to leave, Claire halted us. "Wait, I meant to ask you all… now that Simmons is gone, what are we all going to do? Well, except Leon, Ada, myself and Steve – because our employment isn't changing or anything." she laughed, "Come on everyone, tell me your plans."

Steve decided to go first [even though he was already excluded by Claire], he shared that he would be taking over his father's position in the Canadian government and that he hoped to work his way up from there. As for his bodyguards, he promised them that he would keep them employed because he trusted them with everything he had.

This invoked an emotional response from Sheva whom he swore to hire once again after she gave birth to her baby.

Piers and Helena informed us that they would be staying in America, returning to their old homes on the outskirts of Tall Oaks where they planned to settle down together. Deborah would come stay with them once she finished earning her degree in London [shockingly, Jake's old mentor offered that she could stay with him until she graduated].

"I'm also proud to announce that I'm pursuing a career in law enforcement." Helena said with a smile, "My mentor will be none other than _that guy_." she pointed to Leon and he laughed dryly.

"Yeah, and I know this won't be easy… with your temper." she flipped him the bird. "See – that's exactly what I'm talking about…"

We all laughed and I squeaked once attention was suddenly on me. "Come on, Sher – what are your plans? You still working for Jake and the little one?" Claire asked with a smile.

I hesitated, "Well, I just got fired yesterday actually." I said it sheepishly and started to fidget uncomfortably when everyone eyes landed on me, they followed up with a series of apologies and sympathetic words.

I felt like I ruined the sunny mood with my statement, regret consumed me. "Um, sorry everyone – please go on, don't let me bring you guys down, I'm fine." I forced a smile so they wouldn't pity me.

Jake's arm wrapped around my shoulder, "We're gonna take some time to talk things out and we'll get back to you guys on that another time." he told them and I thanked him with a peck on the cheek.

After some more light-hearted conversation, we all decided it was time to head back home. Before Jake and I could depart, I was pulled aside by Claire and Leon while Jake carried on a clandestine discussion with Piers…

"Sherry, are you sure you're alright?" Claire asked me, taking my hands in hers. "It's gotta be rough knowing that you aren't Marlowe's caretaker anymore."

I forced another smile, "I still will take care of him because I'm living with them – well Jake in particular.

"That may be true but you look depressed." Leon added and it hurt to hear that.

_It sure would be nice if I were less expressive and readable. _I sighed, "Okay, I think I'm just confused about what to do next. I don't know where to go – career wise." I admitted dryly.

"Wow… that's exactly how I felt when you moved out." Claire said with big eyes – she looked stunned.

"Are you serious?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Both of us felt that way," said Leon with a smirk. "We spent almost 4 years as a team taking care of you and helping you. When you moved out of Claire's it was quite the shocker for us. I decided to take the job I have now because of your sudden independence and well, Claire works for TerraSave now for the same reason."

"Helping you become the beautiful woman you are now is what inspired me to help others." Claire said with a giggle, "We told you the day you left for Finland that you were the reason we have come so far. You moved on to do something more with yourself and we realized that even though you were gone, we still could see you and talk to you whenever possible. Though we are no longer your caretakers, we still will do whatever we can for you when you need us."

"That's the same philosophy you should follow when it comes to Jake's family." Leon finished for her.

"Heh, it's interesting – Mar told me a while back that you and Jake are like his second parents and that reminded me of how you always say Leon and I are your parents…" Claire said aloud, putting a finger to her lips. "It's like you two are clones but not clones…"

"He told you that?" I asked incredulously and she nodded. "Wow…" _That is a lot like me… and now that my parents are trying to do better by me, Mar's are trying too. Mar and I are truly kindred spirits._

"Yep, like you think of him as a son, he thought of you as his mommy. But the reality is, your parents are your parents and the same applies for him. If they want to do right by him now, there's no harm in that." said Claire.

_Oh my God, they're right …They're always right. _"Can I ask, what was it about me that made you two pursue these new occupations?"

Leon answered first, "Knowing that I could help you made me realize that fighting simple crimes wasn't enough for me anymore. I wanted to see things through and see people that struggle within their families get justice for whatever wrongs they endured. Now I'm an agent with the government and my focus is on investigating family crimes."

"So that's why you jumped on board to help Helena and her sister so fast and why you saved the former president's daughter when she was kidnapped by her uncle…" I observed.

"Yeah, believe it or not Ada and I came here to investigate one of the girl's Simmons killed under the assumption that the girl was killed by a family member. One thing led to another and we got the real culprit."

Claire smiled, "As for me, I realized I was pretty good with bringing smiles to people who didn't get that chance often. It's thanks to you that I decided to join TerraSave and help people wherever I can."

"Leon and I can't tell you what to do with your life Sherry, but you need to think about the things you've learned these past months and decide the best course of action for yourself. What have you realized about yourself since you started working for Jake's family? Think of what you enjoyed most and what you have to offer."

I repeated their words over and over in my head like a mantra, "Okay, I'll take some time to think about it and I'll call you both later."

I hugged both of them and thanked them for their wise words. As I turned to leave with Jake, I felt tons better.

* * *

"Mom says you're not my Nanny Bear anymore…" Mar said suddenly.

I was in the middle of finishing up dinner when he arrived and begged to be helped into his high chair. Once he was seated, I returned to my task while humming a tune. Since I still lived with them, I felt a responsibility to clean and cook, I couldn't just do nothing at all.

His words however stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Does this mean you're leaving…?" he asked brokenheartedly.

I turned to him and felt awful for what I needed to tell him, "No it's just, your parents want to take care of you and give you all of the attention you need so Jake and I don't have to do it alone from now on."

"Oh…"

I completed dinner shortly after that and decided to talk to Mar a little more, I was very curious of something and felt like I needed answers from the little genius. "Mar… if I did have to move out… would it hurt you?" _Of course it would – I feel like a jerk for asking!_

He looked at me and nodded slowly, "Yeah… but mom tells me that no matter what happens you'll always come see me and we'll be together whenever it's possible."

I nodded, choking back tears. "That's right, because no matter what – I could never forget you." I couldn't stop the water works now. "You mean the world to me… and while I would love to be with you forever, you have to understand that your parents are just trying to do right by you."

"I know…" he said softly, breaking away from his high chair over to me. "Can I still call you Nanny Bear?"

I picked him up and just cried onto him helplessly. "I love you Mar… and I'm so happy that you've finally got the family you always deserved. I'll always do what I can for you. Though my job is over… Yes, you can **always** call me Nanny Bear."

I felt him crying on my shoulder. "Promise me you'll hit the books whenever you can and outwit us all by going to college and getting a thousand degrees." I chuckled tearfully.

"That's illogical but I'll be sure to get a _least_ 15." he hiccupped and I laughed some more.

"Okay, and promise me you'll respect girls and listen to your parents – no fits, okay?"

"Girls are so icky though!" he whined, "And I'll try listen but my dad's such a _stiff_!"

I laughed again, "They won't always be icky and well, yeah – your dad's pretty strict but it's because he loves you."

"I do like women though…" he said and I felt him snickering on my shoulder.

I sighed from his humor, "Promise me you won't harass women and that you will eventually understand that girls become women."

"I won't and I still don't believe that. There's no way that girls are anything like women." he retorted stubbornly.

"Fair enough, you'll see eventually." I said giving him another squeeze. _I'm gonna miss you little guy… _"Be strong, Mar." I whispered sadly. "There are better days ahead and even if I do have to move away, I'll always come visit you."

"You and Jake…" he started slowly, "You're only gonna leave if Jake leaves right?"

I didn't know how to respond to that. It was odd; I never stayed alone with Jake before in our own home, I always stayed with the family and he spent the night in my room or vice versa. _But like Jake said, as long as we're together, I can live with him… But he means living here at the house right…?_

"I… I guess so." I said finally.

"Well I know that even if Jake leaves, he'll come back to visit me thanks to you. So that means you'll come back too." he chirped.

"What do you mean by 'thanks to you'?" I asked releasing him to the floor.

He beamed at me and I dreaded that I wouldn't see it every day like I had since October. "You changed my family, Nanny Bear. You made them start to care about me. Everyone tells me that, even my dad."

"Really?" I was shocked but I did recall Mr. Wesker saying that the other day – I just didn't really pay attention to it that much.

"Jake said that you got him to see that he needed to be in my life and mom said you encouraged her to try for me. Father says that you changing all of us made him want to be better too."

"Wow… I would have never guessed…" I said breathlessly. "Thank you, Mar… for everything."

"Thank you, Nanny Bear – for being the best person I've ever met."

* * *

"Where are we going, Jake?" I asked as we rode through the outskirts of Tall Oaks. I recognized the area immediately – it was the same route I would take to work from my old apartment. The coincidence was almost unfathomable – what were the odds we would be headed to Charlie's coffee shop?

"We're headed to Herstine." he replied.

_Herstine…_ "Oh, okay…" I replied. I don't know why I wanted to go by the old coffee shop but for now, I would wait and see what he had to show me. _But what's in Herstine…?_

I had my arms tightly around him and rested my head against his back with a hum. He had his motorcycle brought over to here somehow and insisted we ride it wherever he was taking me.

When we arrived in Herstine, the sunset was beautiful on the horizon as we sped through the beautiful and busy city. The city limits were full of traffic and night life activities while the outskirts were along the beautiful body of water with its expansive beach and gorgeous scenery. We rode across a bridge and the wind whisked through my short hair, carrying the intoxicating aroma of the bay.

I remembered Herstine being the reason why Charlie's coffee shop was so busy because of travelers locating here for vacations. I didn't blame them either, the weather was so perfect for the new season and while the city did get hot during the summers, it was just perfect in spring.

As we came around a steep corner, I noticed we were nearing a lovely set of beach houses along the bay. I imagined we were about to meet someone here and whoever they were – if they stayed here they were pretty lucky.

Jake slowed his motorcycle down once we came into a tight-knit neighborhood with solid brick borders between the houses. The borders were lined with pretty traditional flowers and foliage. He stopped the bike behind an extravagant house with a sort of modesty to it.

We were in the backyard and there was a pool ahead of us and a concrete walk beside it leading to the glass double doors – the back entrance to the house. On the other side of the walkway was a freshly cut section of grass beside the garage. Behind us was a gorgeous view of the bay and as the sun began to descend further, the waves from the water seemed to gesture a goodbye to it.

"Wow," I breathed, "whose house is this?"

Jake smirked at me, "Go on inside and you'll see."

I smiled and whirled around, treading carefully past the pool up to the back doors. I knocked but Jake told it me it was already open so I slowly inched inside.

The first room was a modernized kitchen, black wood cabinets, chrome appliances and a solid basilica Formica island-countertop with a built in sink and four leather seats [periwinkle in color] were lined opposite of the sink.

Straight ahead was a narrow hallway leading to what I was sure was the living room. To my left [past the kitchen's island] was an arc doorway to the dining room. A square glass table was in the center with two chairs on each side.

I walked through the kitchen and into a narrow hallway with one open door on my right side leading to a bathroom. I made out shades of white, blue and brown and started for it but before I could migrate inside [me and my love for bathrooms…], Jake came up behind me.

"I know you love bathrooms but let's go see the upstairs first baby." he purred into my ear, kissing it before ushering me past the bathroom.

I saw the living room first. The couches were kitty cornered and made of white leather with cute pillows of blue shades; the couches circled around a glass coffee table and to the right was a 50 inch HD TV surrounded by a bookcase with a DVD player and movies, etc stacked neatly on shelves below the TV.

There was a staircase whirling around the room leading to the second floor. Jake and I ascended them to the top. "Are we waiting for someone?" I asked curiously.

"No, the owner of the joint is already here." he replied with a laugh, "follow me and I'll introduce them."

I followed him into a rather simple master bedroom but the view was breathtaking. There was a set of tall windows with a door to a small balcony to oversee the bay. I glanced around the room with the jitters from excitement. The bedframe was quite fancy with wooden fixtures on the king sized bed and eggshell bedding. A fancy futon was at the foot of the bed. There was a dresser on one side beside an entrance to what appeared to be a walk-in closet and a beautiful chandelier lit the room.

I swear I saw a bathroom on the other side of the bed… but again, I was lured away by Jake and taken to the balcony. There were two hammocks [more like mini-beds] tied to a steel beam above on either side of a small wooden table. These were most likely for relaxing an enjoying the view. They were adorned with multi-colored pillows and green cushions to lie on.

"Wow, whoever owns this place is so lucky." I humored, enjoying the view while Jake held me to him. "Where are they?"

Jake grinned and I got a little curious… did he? No, no way – he said the only other house he owned [besides the one in Finland] was in Florida.

"Come," he beckoned taking my hand in his. He lay on one hammock and pulled me on top of him. I worried was it safe… "And relax, these hammocks are supported with a wooden frame beneath them so, you won't just fall through it." he chuckled.

"Is… Is this your home, Jake?" I asked kissing his lips when he cupped my face.

He smirked and I knew my prediction was correct. "It's beautiful here, baby." I whispered on his lips.

"After Simmons got thrown in the slammer, I had a talk with my dad about a few things; in particular – about starting over. I was surprised that he wanted to do the same. Even more shocking – he told me that he was retiring."

"He is?" I asked with surprise.

"That was a few weeks ago, he retired last week."

"Oh…"

"So, since he's retired – his higher ups offered me _his job_."

Now that really shocked me. "Really? Wow… what exactly would you do with the job?"

"Same thing my dad did, donate blood for medical research and handle foreign trade related matters. I just learned that he oversaw pharmaceutical things… it really rings a bell now I think about it. I mean, he did say that he was using Mar and me to create antidotes and shit."

"That sounds pretty interesting..." I mused with a smile, I was genuinely happy for my man. He'd come a long, long way from who he once was. "Not sure about the blood donation thing though… Didn't the judge rule against that type of research?"

He huffed, "Tell me about it, but the judge said that it can't be done against our will anymore but the whole topic was what held me back from it at first but then I realized that I would have the power to make sure my blood isn't used for madman purposes like Simmons was after. I told them I would think about it but eventually I went to my dad and told him I'd take it."

"That's great, Jake!" I congratulated him.

"Thanks baby girl, but that's just part of the story… I haven't told his employers I'd take it yet…"

"What?" I sat up and looked at him sharply. "Why…?"

"Sherry, I wanted to make sure you were okay with it first." he said, his hands traveling up my light green sundress to caress my milky thighs. "Have you… decided what you plan on doing yet?"

I had thought pretty hard on it over the course of the day. Everything that came to my mind involved babysitting but at this point in my life, I figured Jake and I could just have kids and that would solve that problem…

I wasn't sure I liked the idea of sitting at home, cooking and cleaning all day while Jake was away at work. That wasn't what I wanted to do and besides, Jake and I are partners. We worked so well as a team that with him away, it would break my heart.

If we had a kid that would be different – one of us would have to take care them while the other was away but since Mar was no longer in the picture, Jake and I had freedom to do whatever…

"If you accept that job…" I started slowly. "Do you think I could come along with you?"

"Of course." he said with a chuckle. "I wouldn't dare leave you alone. Besides, I was wondering if you would like to come with me anyway. We could work together since we both want to help other people. We could find other kids like Mar and help them."

I pouted, "Stop listening to my thoughts!" I retorted playfully. Now that he said that aloud, I realized it didn't sound so stupid after all…

"You shouldn't have such deliciously sexy skin then, my dear." he purred, pulling at the elastic of my panties.

I took that as a compliment and leaned down to kiss him, "I don't think I want a babysitting job forever but… I think I would like to counsel families." I said with a smile.

"And restore them like you did mine?" he pitched in with a smile of his own. "That definitely sounds like something for you."

"Maybe when I come with you to other countries, we could help people in need, who are lost or need help. We could help children who have lost their parents to war or violence and help them find new homes in foster care with people who will love them." I started to ramble, feeling inspiration tingle through me. "We could do that, right?"

"Absolutely," he said. "A lot of people get arrested for things related to foreign trade, once I bust 'em, you could see about their kids and what can be done for them."

I rested on his chest once again, kissing the skin that was exposed there. "That would be lovely baby."

"By the way, I sold the house I owned in Florida."

"Why?"

"Because I only want one home now; my wanderlust should be satiated with this new job since it's a traveling one. Dad and I sold our extra homes and decided to settle for just one – part of the whole, starting over thing. Besides, I'm ready to start my own life instead of living up under my mom and dad all the time, ya know? I've got money – all I need to do now is take care of you since they've got Mar covered."

"You guys sold the house in Finland too?" I asked bewilderedly; it was such a beautiful place it was sad to learn it was gone. "What about the one in London?"

He chuckled aloud, "The one in Finland, no but in London, yes. That house in Finland was built from the ground up by my dad and me when we decided to design a house. We worked with a damn company to make that place and I would be damned before I ever sold it. Instead, we're splitting the bill for it and that will be where we all meet up every Christmas as usual."

"Wow…"

"So what do you say baby girl, will you share your life with me?" he asked with a simper.

I sat up again, "What do you mean –" my lips collided with his and he gently pushed his tongue inside my mouth.

Something metallic touched my tongue…

I pulled away and removed the object from my mouth.

"_Oh my God_…"

It was a **ring**.

The most beautiful thing I'd ever laid my eyes on.

Designed with incredibly luxurious white gold, a silver diamond studded bulb was in the center and embroidered with smaller ones around it and a thick rose-colored frame acting as a flower around its bulb. The shank was silver and wound around like a vine for the ring with diamonds adorning it.

I started crying like a baby. I couldn't believe it.

Jake was… asking me to _marry_ him!

"Please tell me you'll share your life with me." he whispered, "This will be our home together. We'll wake up next to each other every day, make breakfast, drink coffee, watch TV… _work out_." I laughed when he said that but my tears were falling freely. "Eventually we can even talk about having kids together… and raising a family."

He propped himself up on his elbows to look me in the eye. He wiped away my tears and smiled so sweetly, I thought I was dreaming. "You're not dreaming super girl, I'm really asking you – the woman who changed my life, who helped me become a better man… the woman whose devotion and determination led me to do better by my family and the ones I love. The woman who made me see that I could change. My dream girl, my wet dream… my everything – Sherry, you didn't just restore my family… you _saved_ me."

I felt him slide that beautiful ring onto the fourth finger of my left hand. "You're my super girl… and I want to share my life with you if you would allow me to."

"Oh my God, Jake… it's so beautiful… It's so beautiful…" I weeped, referring to this whole moment – it was all so _beautiful_.

The new house, the scenery, the ring, his words, and my life – it was all just so beautiful.

"Just like you, Sherry…"

_I remember the first day we met Jake – and how you called me a babe. I remember running into you in Spencer, never knowing how truly significant our relationship would turn out to be. From the beginning I felt that spark with you. We became a team, we worked together to help Mar, our friends… and we learned so much from one another. It's so hard to believe that we've come so far… _

_You showed me how to love and trust people Jake. You showed me how to find my own strength. _

_You may not realize it but, you changed me too. _

"Yes, Jake. I would love to share my life with you."

* * *

The day Jake and I officially moved into our new home together, we were assisted by Claire, Leon, Helena and Piers. I kept my ring hidden from them until we were done. Everyone gathered in the backyard around the outdoor pool and as soon as the sun began to set, Jake held out my hand to everyone.

Piers congratulated us and Leon shook Jake's hand, demanding he take good care of me. Claire admired my ring, we squealed girlishly together while Helena whistled, visibly impressed.

"You're not the only one engaged." she said proudly, holding out her hand for display.

Claire and I gasped and started squealing again, adoring her exquisite engagement ring. The stone in the center was champagne in color, at its sides were smaller diamonds but they were equally brilliant. "It's gorgeous…" I breathed, appreciating her ring. I simply loved my ring and hers was lovely too.

"I can't believe you both are getting married!" Claire squeaked, hugging us. "Yet I'm brushing 30 and still single…"

We all laughed.

Sometime later, Leon announced he had to leave for work related matters [as usual]. I was sure to see him off and thank him for everything – I planned to share my plans with him later. Claire had to leave as well, something about Steve and I asked no more questions. I promised I would call her and Leon and tell them everything later before she departed. I could see Steve in a car nearby the house and I was sure they had a date.

Jake, Helena, Piers and I remained outside, the scenery was too wonderful to ignore and we intended to relish in the sights.

"Congrats you two," I said once Jake came to my side. Piers visibly blushed as he wound his arm around Helena's waist. "It's so hard to believe we're getting married!"

"So… who's up for an October wedding?" Piers said suddenly.

"Why October?" Helena asked with a raised brow.

"Because October's when we all made that first step into our relationships…" I noted with particular interest. "Wait a second…"

"Did you and Jake plan to propose to us on the same day and then plan a wedding?" Helena boldly asked.

"What? No way!" they protested in union and continued to ramble on from there and immediately we knew they were lying.

"So that's why you were so busy lately, right Jake?" I inquired with a smirk and he shook his head vigorously. "Helena, has Piers been busy lately too?"

"Yep." she replied, staring him down like he was a bad dog.

"I mean, figuratively speaking – if we did actually do that, what would be the harm in it?" Jake was clearly on pins and needles; I mean really – who says 'figuratively speaking' unless it's true?

"Right," Piers cut in. "I mean, what would be the odds we actually stopped by a jewelry store, picked a ring for our girls and have been lying in wait for the perfect moment to propose but made sure it was on the same day?"

Helena and I looked at each other and slowly cracked a smile, "You both are idiots." I responded with a grin.

"Why?" Jake asked innocently. "We're speaking figuratively – it's not like that's what happened…"

Helena was biting her lip to stop from laughing, it was amusing to see. "Okay then, figuratively speaking, who would have come up with the idea?"

"I imagine it was probably Leon."

"Leon?!" Helena and I shouted in shock.

"No, no… it would definitely be more along the lines of Sheva." Jake contemplated, putting his finger to his chin.

"Or maybe it would have been you…" Piers said with a fake expression of shock.

"Me?" Jake responded like he was in disbelief. "No way, it sounds more like a plan you would've had, Jarhead."

I realized then that they were playing off of each other. The real culprit was about to surface.

"Or maybe, just maybe…" Piers trailed off. Gosh they were poor actors.

"It would be the genius mind of that Claire lady…" Jake finished with a grin.

"Claire set you guys up to do this?" Helena asked with a smirk.

"I can believe it." I laughed, "That explains why she suddenly had to leave with Steve."

We pressed the men further until they finally admitted that Claire talked them into it when they asked for her help in ring picking. Helena and I weren't upset at all; we just hugged them and thanked them for their gesture.

Claire did fine work picking our rings.

Jake invited me to lay on one of the folding chairs with him. We had set them out earlier for everyone to rest on. I curled up at his side while Piers laid down on another chair with Helena on top of him. "It's hard to believe we've come so far." Piers said, stroking Helena's hair.

"I'd rather not get all sentimental about it," Jake grumbled and I pinched him. "What?" I frowned. "Fine, _sorry_…"

"So the two of you will be staying in Tall Oaks then?" I asked.

"Yep, we're just a city away so we can always see each other." Helena said with a small smile.

That made me happy, "Sounds great."

"So, have you two come up with anything yet – your future plans, I mean?" Piers asked.

I smiled up to Jake and he returned it, "Yep, after we get married we're gonna work side by side." he answered, kissing my forehead. "By the way, I think October's way too far away. Let's work on having the wedding in June. Not on a scorching hot day but you know, a nice one."

I heard Helena laughing with me.

"Fine by me," Piers replied with a yawn. "Well, it's getting late." he said, checking his watch. I noticed the skies were totally dark now and the stars were glistening prettily above. "We should head back to Tall Oaks since it's quite a bit of a drive back."

Jake and I rose from the chair to follow them out of the yard and to Piers' car parked in the driveway. "Thanks for helping," I said, hugging Helena and then Piers. "Send me a text to let me know you made it home safely."

"You got it." Helena replied, giving Jake a bro-fist which was still comical for me considering how much things had changed.

"Goodnight guys, oh and congrats on the new home and engagement." Piers said, leaning out the window and waving to us.

"You too!" I beamed as they pulled out the driveway.

Jake lightly grasped me by my elbows while standing behind me, "Come on super girl, it's getting chilly and I'd love to have a nice beer while we watch some kickass movie."

I gave him a look, "What, you mean like _Terminator_?" I feigned being stubborn, folding my arms across my chest. "No way! _Rocky_ movies are so much better!"

Jake twitched and I burst into a fit of giggles, "Not funny – you know Schwarzenegger movies kick Stallone movies in their ass."

"Oh whatever!" I retorted playfully. "Fine, we'll just have to watch that movie with the killer doll instead! And you won't get a beer for being mean to me."

"First of all, it's called _Bride of Chucky _and… why not baby? I'm sorry for being mean…" his poor acting came into play as he feigned hurt and tried to hug me.

I pushed him away and made a sprint for the door but he caught me, swinging me into the air by my waist only to hook my legs around his waist and kiss me passionately on the lips. I giggled as he walked into the house with me that way.

We ended up watching a movie called _Scream_. It was a thrill ride for sure and I rather liked it.

Jake and I had a good time watching old horror movies, eating junk food and drinking soda pop's and slushy's [though Jake had a few beers]. Every now and again we would wrestle a bit on the floor and break into a passionate make out session only to be interrupted by the screams from the movies.

I found myself still missing Mar but I knew I would have to get accustomed to living life with just Jake and me for a while. It would take some time but eventually my wounds would heal.

Though I do have to say, it's wonderful living alone with him, waking up to his delicious coffee, sipping it and holding a conversation about anything while we both pitched in to make breakfast. From there the day was ours and we would both have to get used to it.

Judging from our first night together, I think we'll be fine.

* * *

Mrs. Stephanie pleaded for Jake and me to join the family for a picnic to celebrate moving into our new home. We met them in a park in Tall Oaks a week after we got settled. That whole week we spent together was magical; we walked along the beach, went swimming in our pool, played beer pong, I successfully kicked his butt in Mario Karts [and he was a sore loser about it too], and we even went out into the city and attended a car show.

It was wonderful.

Jake and I made out the family's location rather quickly when we arrived. They were up on a hill beneath a very shady tree; I recognized them immediately by Mar's honey blonde hair.

I raced over and scooped him into my arms, kissing him all over his face and he didn't complain an ounce. "Hi baby!" I greeted him happily.

"I'm no baby!" he retorted irritably. "I'll be 4 years old next month!"

"Yes, I know – May 28th sweetheart, I didn't forget." I giggled, kissing his hair. "Sherry missed her Mar-Mar." I purred.

"Mar-Mar missed his Nanny Bear." he replied and I just squeezed him even tighter.

Once he got away from me, he raced over to Jake and he hoisted him up into the air making airplane noises and earning giggles from the child. I hugged Mrs. Stephanie as a greeting and waved with a smile to Mr. Wesker as he sat calmly under the tree, watching the food to protect it from pesky bugs I suppose.

"It's a beautiful day," I spoke, taking a seat on the large blanket that'd been set out. "The sun's bright and warm but the breeze is delightful."

"Isn't it?" she replied, sitting beside her husband. "I'm glad I picked today of all days. There's supposed to be a rain coming tomorrow."

"Actually, it will be coming this evening," Mr. Wesker cut in. "I can smell it in the air."

Mrs. Stephanie and I comically sniffed the air to see if we could register his claim but eventually we gave up – it was a Wesker thing as usual. "Jake, Mar – come sit!" I called for them. Jake was on the ground, pretending to defenseless against Mar's lion roars and was shouting for help. It was quite a sight.

"Marlowe's so silly with this 'I am a lion' phase of his," said Mrs. Stephanie. "He's been roaring and biting his father all day…"

I noticed Mr. Wesker twitch a bit and I tried imagining him being bitten by Mar.

I nearly killed over in a fit of giggles.

Finally Jake and Mar joined us and we ate the goodies Mrs. Stephanie had prepared. Jake and I had brought along an apple pie and some rib tips for the picnic.

"Wow, that pie looks delicious. How did you make it?" she asked, observing it with sparkling eyes.

"We got a recipe from a book." Jake said. "It was awful. We just logged onto the big bad computer and found something else." I laughed aloud. We spent the whole night looking up recipes for the pie and successfully made it together on our second try.

"These are good!" Mar exclaimed, chomping down on a rib.

"Thanks, it was one heck of a labor." I said with a forced smile.

"More like a tragedy – it took us forever to get it right…"

Our dilemma with the rib tips was much worse than the pie. The first and second time we tried barbequing them they came out stiff and inedible. The third time we tried baking them instead – they tasted pretty good but we were both adamant we would get it right if we stayed tenacious and cooked them on the pit. The fourth time we left them on the pit too long and burnt them.

Finally, on our fifth try – they came out delightful. Tender inside and cooked to perfection.

Jake and I both agreed we didn't want to touch that pit again for the rest of spring.

Mrs. Stephanie laughed, "That tends to happen – it's not easy to barbeque. Albert's better at it than I am, that's for sure."

"Indeed." he said and I saw her glare at him.

"So, how is everything at the new abode? Are you two settling in pretty well?" she asked.

I smiled at Jake and he chuckled, "We're getting used to it slowly but surely. We don't have any problems being around each other because we have a blast together. No problems cleaning up or cooking either because she handles most of the cooking, but we both pitch in with cleaning up." Jake answered.

"Good to hear."

"Miss Birkin," I turned by attention to Mr. Wesker. "Your parents wanted me to give you their phone number so you may keep in contact."

Hearing that made me smile, "Okay, one second –" I dug into my purse for my cell and pulled it out, waiting for him to read the numbers to me. After I saved it into my contacts, I put my phone away. "Thank you, sir." I chirped.

"You needn't call me 'sir', Miss Birkin. I am your soon to be father in-law am I not?" I blinked, unsure how he knew. "Judging from that extravagant ring I've been observing since you arrived, I hope I am not incorrect."

"Oh my God…" Mrs. Stephanie gasped, taking my left hand and gazing dumbfounded at my ring. "I-I can't believe it!"

"Lemme' see!" said Mar, rushing over to stare at it with awe. "That's pretty, it matches the blush on your face!" he beamed.

I blushed and looked at Jake, "It's true, he proposed the day before we moved in together."

Mrs. Stephanie looked like she was about to cry, "Oh my God… I have a daughter in-law! My son's going to get married!" she reached over and hugged me so tight. "I never thought this day would come!"

"So you're getting married to Jake?" Mar asked me cutely and I just gushed inside before nodding to him. "Awesome! Can I be the ring boy?"

"I think you have to be five years old to do that, Marlowe." said Mrs. Stephanie but I shook my head.

"He's so brilliant, I imagine he's beyond five years old." I giggled, "Besides, he's gotten so much taller these past few months. And he's lost a lot of baby fat from his face…" I feigned sadness. "He's growing up too fast." I muttered.

"Nah, that's just the Wesker blood." Jake cut in proudly. "We start getting tall pretty early."

I observed Mar's noticeably longer legs and the once stubby fingers he had were now slimming. When I held him now, he wasn't too heavy but he was getting there and his legs were so long now that he didn't have to reach far for me to pick him up.

"I think he would make a fine ring boy." I said.

* * *

On the way back home, I asked Jake to make a detour. It was time I showed him where I once worked. To my dismay, when we arrived at Charlie's coffee shop, it was hardly what it was seven months earlier. In fact, it wasn't a coffee shop at all anymore.

The shop was closed and not for the night either.

The doors were boarded up and the windows too. The shop's name was no longer present and the whole area seemed barren. The shop was done for, it was gone – I could still see a sign that said **Going Out of Business**.

It was hard to believe that a job I had for so long was suddenly closed and had gone out of business. I wondered why – sure, it had been 7 months since I was here but… what changed? Did my old boss go bankrupt?

It quite broke my heart.

I wondered where Cindy could be and if she was alright. I wished I had gotten her number or something but she and I met around the time I didn't understand how to build a friendship or be around others and truly enjoy it. If only I could ask what happened…

"Man, I'm sorry baby." Jake rubbed my back supportively. "You probably got a lot of memories from this place…"

"Yeah, and it's pretty scary to think if I had stayed behind that I could have been jobless." I said.

"But you've moved on now. And now you've got a certain future ahead of you."

I smiled, climbing back onto the bike with him. "You're right… let's go."

As we drove away, I kept glancing back at my old job. Memories flashed through my mind of times when I was alone – some of the memories were quite happy involving Cindy and I serving costumers together, laughing with Brad and sharing our hopes for the future.

Wherever Cindy was, I hoped she attained her dream of being a nurse. She deserved it.

_Maybe, just maybe we'll meet again one day – but if we don't… I wish you nothing but good luck, Cindy. Thanks for the memories…_

* * *

Jake and I married alongside Piers and Helena in early June. We had a gorgeous wedding by the beach and everyone showed up. The colors we picked were champagne and pink like the accents on our rings [much to the guys dismay] but we settled that white could also be a color since Helena wore a champagne wedding dress and Piers would have been stuck wearing pink.

My idiot husband was relentless with his teasing about it too.

Our wedding reception was at luxury hotel nearby where we would be staying before we left for our honeymoon in the Bahamas.

We spent an entire week soaking up the sun, wine tasting, dancing, and Piers and Jake even tried surfing. They were both great at it after some practice. Helena and I got to wear grass skirts and were taught how to salsa dance with our husbands. It was a magical honeymoon.

Did I mention I got no sleep the first three nights? I have no clue what got into Jake but his libido was out of this world…

On our way back home, I got a call from my parents just as we arrived back and were leaving the airport.

"Sherry, your mother and I would like you to know that if you ever need any help financially, we're willing to loan you however much you need and… it would be great if you could stop by from time to time."

Claire's words still rang true for me. Though I thought of her and Leon as my parents, the truth was that my real parents were still around and wanted to do better by me. It really couldn't hurt to let them in and actually participate in some family time together whenever they liked.

I smiled, _Sure, let's start over. _"I don't think I'll need any money but I will try and stop by whenever I'm free, father." I said chipper.

I heard a sigh of relief on the other end. "Thank you, Sherry… By the way, what exactly are you planning to do from this point?" my father asked from the other line.

"Travel." I replied with a big grin. "I'm traveling with my husband."

* * *

Who would have thought that my life would go from being a sad story to a sci-fi romance novel, but that's just what ended up happening.

I don't regret anything. My life is perfect just the way it is.

After we married, Jake and I started our new life together. He accepted the job that his father once had and I now travel alongside him. Claire pulled a few strings for me with TerraSave and got them to donate some extra hands to my cause of helping children without parents.

Here we are, four years down the line and my franchise is a success! Jake and I work as a team to help children, teens and people with health problems find assistance and support.

It was around our second year together that he and I decided to plan for kids. I guess that term was taken literally because I gave birth to **twins** in early October the following year. We named them Lars and Alisa and they are the most wonderful children I could have ever asked for.

If you're wondering if our kids are super beings well, they are but not in the way most would have assumed.

Lars has his father's strength but surprisingly he doesn't have the risk of blindness. It seems my genes eliminated his threat of blindness so his vision is perfect for life – but he doesn't regenerate.

Alisa takes after me but she has her father's lovely auburn hair. She regenerates and even has my glow. Because of Jake's genes – she doesn't have a weakness against Wesker blood and her healing abilities are limitless.

My babies are wonderful and they love picking on their father.

Speaking of their father, Jake's a fantastic one. He's attentive, fun, and responsible though he does let them get away with pranking me. In fact, he _helps_ them prank me.

He's such a jerk.

Whenever we're in Herstine, we always make sure to invite Helena and Piers over so their daughter, Mai [quite pretty in my opinion – Mai Harper… I wonder where the name influence came from…] can play with our kids and of course Mar comes by whenever he pleases and sometimes he even comes along with us when Jake needs to relocate for work.

I still remain in contact with Claire and Leon daily – I even [believe it or not] have gotten well-adjusted to hearing from my real parents often; I even make a special trip to see them quite often. As for Mrs. Stephanie and Mr. Wesker, they are magnificent with Mar – never spoiling him but showering him with attention and support.

Every time I think back on the events of my life, I shimmy on the edge when labeling it. A hexagon of problems and sometimes a hexagon of miracles, the former is what I'm leaning towards lately.

I never would have imagined that I would be who I am now; a wife, a mother, a friend … a _remedy_ – the last one is what Jake calls me.

He's always going on about how I'm _A Remedy for Lonely Hearts_ and what not. Funny, I feel like people help me more than I help them but I guess it all goes back to that whole _you never know what you're capable of until you try_, argument.

I guess it's a beneficial thing or something; I help people, they help me. But in the end, I believe Jake's right about me…

I am _A Remedy for Lonely Hearts_.

And this has been my story.

* * *

A/N: That's all folks! *cries*

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their support and sticking with me to the end of this story. I started this in April and made it a goal of mine to finish it before I started back in college. I can't think of one story that I've ever really finished (except a short one) and I wanted to push myself and see this one through because I've never be tenacious enough to do so.

I have struggled often with this fic because I felt like it wasn't very good or something when I wasn't getting many reviews but then I realized I had to keep pushing because success takes practice.

Now that I've done this, I believe I can do more. Thank you all so much for reading this fic of mine!

Btw, Lars and Alisa are characters from Tekken (XD) I just love those two. I hope you all enjoyed this fic and if you have any questions or concerns feel free to PM or ask freely.

I have an idea for a new fic [I'll post the first chapter once I update _Memoirs from the Garden_ again]. It's another AU fic but I'll try to start posting some semi-canon oneshots until I get around to fully developing the idea's I have for a semi-canon fic.

Here's a brief summary – tell me if you like it! :D

**NEW FIC (COMING SOON):**

They are Tyrants; Immortals who have terrorized the human race for over 500 years under the rule of Albert Wesker. His half-breed son, Jake disappeared from the colony over a century ago only to resurface in Raccoon city – it is here that he protects mortals but at a lavish fee. Sherry Birkin, a young singing girl is his newest client; she is also the mayor's daughter.

I'm really excited about my next fic – it's gonna be incredibly good, trust me. XD

Thanks again everyone and remember to Read and Review!

-Vio


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